Mayor won’t spend for mobile morgue for ship’s dead
By Marian Z. Codilla
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 02:46:00 07/24/2008
CEBU CITY – Mayor Tomas Osmeña has turned down a request from the International Police (Interpol) for the city to spend P1.7 million to buy equipment for a mobile morgue arriving here on Aug. 4.
The mayor said Sulpicio Lines Inc., not the city, should spend for the equipment since the morgue would be used for the bodies of those who died in the sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars off Sibuyan Island in Romblon on June 21.
“It is not proper to use the city’s tax money for Sulpicio’s problems. Let Sulpicio pay for it and keep (the mobile morgue) for their next sinking,” Osmeña said.
With more than 300 bodies brought to Cebu City since the June 21 sinking, doubt has been raised that the fatalities brought here might have included missing fishermen and drowning victims of other sea mishaps during Typhoon “Frank.”
Vice Mayor Michael Rama said Sulpicio Lines was not comfortable spending more money when it is already incurring huge expenses to refloat the capsized ship.
He suggested that Interpol tap the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), which has funds, since the Aug. 4 arrival of the morgue is nearing.
Rama earlier said he was “beginning to believe that Sulpicio Lines has become a collector of bodies” because of the discrepancy in figures. More than 500 victims of MV Princess of the Stars remain trapped inside the sunken vessel, which carried 865 passengers and crew.
Interpol reduced its list of requested equipment to lower the cost to P900,000 hoping to overcome the mayor’s initial objection but Osmeña still turned it down.
The P1.7 million was for 24 stainless steel tables worth P33,280 or P15,025 each, eight stainless steel sinks worth P16,250 each, air conditioners, wall fans and 1,000 Tyvek protection suits worth P350 each.
Interpol later removed 12 tables and the protection suits from the original list.
“We already spent for food and other things (at the action center) because families were neglected and many of them were our constituents,” Osmeña said.
He said the city’s calamity funds are for quick response to disaster.
“The city’s strength is its rapid reaction to a crisis, not in showering money in the aftermath,” he added.
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