Four of six recovered remains from ill-fated M/Bca Amejara identified
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/27 January) – The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD)-Davao confirmed on Tuesday the identities four of six recovered cadavers who were among the missing passengers and crew members of the ill-fated M/Bca Amejara adding that it is in the process of identifying two others.
Ednar G. Dayanghirang, Office of Civil Defense Davao Region regional director, told MindaNews in a phone interview on Tuesday that the four remains were identified through distinguishing features such as tattoos, birthmarks, clothing, and personal accessories like pendants and watches.
He said that of the six bodies recovered, the forensics team from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Davao, through confirmation by the families, was able to identify the remains of Lanorias Porferio Jr., Ranil Florino, John Julius Alcazar, and Hector Emberga.
He said family members were asked to provide descriptions of their missing relatives which the forensics team used to cross-match with the recovered remains.
Once the team found potential matches, he added that the families were called in to personally identify the bodies.
Of the six bodies, five were recovered on Saturday and one on Sunday. A crew member was rescued on January 20, leaving nine others still missing.
The recovered remains were all airlifted from Balut Island and brought to St. Peter’s Chapel in Panacan, Davao City for identification and disposition.
According to Dayanghirang, two of the remains were claimed by their families on Monday, one was scheduled for release on Tuesday, and another is set to be released on Thursday.
He said only blood relatives, or the nearest kin, are allowed to claim the remains.
“I think it’s important to be transparent (about the names), so that the family, friends, and relatives can mourn. How can you grieve if you don’t know,” Dayanghriang said.
On his Facebook account, John Galt Siao Emberga, Hector’s son, shared on Monday photos of himself with his father, other family members, and friends.
“Pa, I wish we had more time. You were healthy and you were strong. Gym buddy nga dapat tayo this year (We were supposed to be gym buddies this year),” he posted.
John shared that he once imagined reaching 60 with his father still around at 83, playfully teasing him just like he always did.
“Continue to guide me, pa. Your wisdom and guidance will live forever in my mind. Your love will live forever in my heart. I miss you deeply and I love you so much,” he said.
A forensics team from the NBI-Davao, led by Dr. Charina Labrador, the agency’s medico-legal officer, examined and took teeth and bone samples for the identification of the cadavers through deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA testing.
Dayanghirang said that the identification process for the other two cadavers is still ongoing.
But he added that should identification through distinguishing features fail, the bodies will be matched through DNA testing.
Last Sunday, Labrador told reporters that the remains were already in a state of decomposition and were beyond recognition.
Dayanghirang said human remains that could not be identified would be temporarily buried, pending the results of the DNA testing.
He said DNA samples have been collected from the victims’ relatives at the OCD-Davao office last Monday, and that the results of the DNA testing could take weeks or even months.
“We still don’t know who (among the unidentified remains) will be subject to DNA testing, as the physical identification is still ongoing,” he said.
During a press conference via Zoom on Sunday afternoon, Lt. Jason Lavadia, acting commander of Coast Guard Station Davao, said the Coast Guard received a report at 8:59 a.m. on Saturday regarding the sighting of the four cadavers at 60.2 nautical miles south of Maguling Point, Maitum, Sarangani Province.
Lavadia said that at 6:07 p.m. on Saturday, the BRP Tagbanua recovered the fifth cadaver, about 10 nautical miles from where the other bodies were recovered.
Lavadia informed reporters via Viber that the sixth cadaver was sighted at 1:04 p.m., about 43 nautical miles southwest of Buca Point in Maasim, Sarangani.
He said the body was retrieved by DA BFAR MCS 3010 and later transferred to PCG BRP Panglao, which then proceeded to Balut Island.
The ill-fated boat left Santa Ana Wharf in Davao City at 8 p.m. on January 17, carrying 16 people, bound for Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental, to go fishing. It left port without the necessary permit and was reported missing on January 19 after encountering rough sea conditions while traversing Davao Gulf.
According to the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao, the search and rescue operation is still ongoing for the nine others still missing. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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