The wailing of children filled the public cemetery in Barili town, southwestern Cebu as relatives and friends yesterday laid to rest the 10 casualties of last Thursday’s road accident.
The 10 were passengers on a municipal dump truck used as a hearse that lost its brakes, sped downhill and fell on its side.
At half past noon yesterday, their coffins were brought out of the town gymnasium to the packed Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Anne for the Mass of Christian Burial.
Barangay tanods carried the coffins supported with bamboo poles tied to them with ropes.
Parents shielded their children with umbrellas during the hour and a half long funeral march.
Vice Mayor Marlon Garcia and other town officials joined the march.
In church, the coffin of Dionesia Diagbel was surrounded by her 10 orphaned children.
The youngest was one-year-old, James Diagbel.
Daysi Diagbel, the second eldest, told Cebu Daily News that her brother was always looking for their mother.
Now that her mother is gone, Daysi said their third eldest, Cecil, will take care of the boy.
Other relatives who were injured in the accident attended the funeral rites.
In his homily, assistant parish priest Fr. Dennis Boltron said the bereaved families shouldn’t blame the driver for the deaths of their loved ones.
“We didn’t expect this to happen. We can’t prevent things from happening especially if we are not expecting it to happen,” the priest said.
“We shouldn’t blame him. It was an accident.”
He, however said the Interior and Local Government directive forbidding the use of municipal trucks during funerals shouldn’t have been issued since the trucks were the only means of mass transport for such functions.
He said town officials should instead regularly inspect their vehicles.
“Constant check-up makes you perfect,” he said.
Boltron said the municipality should find out the root of the tragedy.
“Wheels of law must continue rolling on and on,” he said.
Kandampas barangay captain Leonardo Iñigo Sr. thanked everyone who gave immediate assistance to the victims.
Donors included philanthropist Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung and the Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines Cebu Chapter.
In an interview after the Mass, Vice Mayor Garcia said they will conduct an investigation of the accident in one or two weeks. /Carmel Loise Matus Correspondent