Recovered personal items seen to help identify ferry victims
By Niña Catherine Calleja
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 15:27:00 07/05/2008
SAN FERNANDO, Sibuyan Island, Philippines -- Police here were recovering valuables and other personal belongings that can help identify recovered bodies from the ill-fated ship MV Princess of the Stars that sank off Sibuyan Island on June 21.
Chief Inspector Reynaldo Reyes, San Fernando police chief, said Saturday that residents had found identification cards, ATM cards, photos, documents and pieces of jewelry on the shores of Sibuyan Island as more bodies were spotted floating off the island’s waters.
Two of the items found were hospital identification cards of infant siblings Kristine Grace and Kennette Guiama.
“The recovered items will be crucial in determining the identities of the cadavers because two weeks have passed and decomposed bodies are hard to identify,” Reyes said.
He said some of the recovered bodies had head injuries missing torsos as they drifted to shore.
“Representatives of Sulpicio should get the recovered items so they could be returned to the rightful owners,” Reyes said.
He also asked the people to “have mercy and return recovered items from the victims that are in their possession.”
However, it would be difficult to link the valuables to the cadavers recently found.
Since Thursday, 32 bodies have been recovered and sent to Cebu on the MV Cagayan Princess owned by Sulpicio Lines.
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