CEBU CITY — The National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) on Tuesday started the disaster victim identification (DVI) process on the 22 unidentified bodies recovered from the landslide site in the City of Naga.
Forensic experts from NBI-7, headed by Dr. Rene Cam, conducted the DVI in coordination with the Philippine National Police Regional Crime Laboratory Office-7 at one of the funeral parlors in downtown Cebu City.
Cam said the 22 bodies are already in an advanced state of decomposition and could no longer be identified physically.
He said all they can do at this time is to look for distinguishing features on the bodies like scars, birthmarks, moles, or tattoos, and have them verified by the relatives.
In the absence of any distinguishing feature, Cam said they will have to conduct DNA examination in order to obtain positive identification of the body.
Relatives of the landslide victims also flocked to the Cebu Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes, hoping that among the 22 decomposed bodies being processed are their relatives who went missing after the landslide in Barangay Tinaan on Thursday last week.
They also hope that the NBI-7 would allow them to observe the DVI process as they can also help in positively identifying the bodies.
The 22 unidentified bodies are among the 56 fatalities recorded by the Emergency Operations Center in Naga as of 2 p.m.
Emergency Operations Center spokesperson and Naga Sangguniang Panglungsod secretary Garry Cabotaje said 10 people have been rescued from the massive landslide, while 41 are still unaccounted for.
The rescued victims, who are now recuperating at the Talisay City District Hospital and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City, are: Nestor Capoy, 52; Juanito Gepuit, 50; Geraldine Lapitan; Rose Ann Lobiano, 31; Baby Jane Ravanes, 8; Basilia Omambag, 58; Sidney Ravanes, 35; Christopher Semilla, 52; Elaisah Siton, 11; and Junalyn Siton, 16. (Luel Galarpe/PNA)
