Body of 2nd slain Bulacan massacre suspect remains unclaimed at morgue

Workers of a funeral parlor bring out a body from the Carlos family house in the City of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan province. Five family members, three of them children, were found dead in the house on June 27. —EDWIN BACASMAS

The cadaver of the second slain suspect in the gruesome massacre in Bulacan remained unclaimed at the hospital morgue as the poor family could not pay for the P10,000 mortuary expenses.

In a Radyo Inquirer report, Jan Escosio said on Thursday that the family of suspect Rosevelt Sorema still could not claim the body from the morgue because they could not provide the payment.

It takes P10,000 to claim the remains of Rosevelt, the second “person of interest” in the June 27 Bulacan massacre.

READ: Bato eyes ‘vigilantes’ in slays of 2 linked to Bulacan massacre

“Hanggang ngayon [hindi nila matubos], dahil walang sampung libong piso itong pamilya ni Ponga para tubusin ang kanyang bangkay sa Grace Hospital. (Until now [they could not claim], because Ponga’s family has no P10,000 to claim his corpse),” Escosio said in his report.

Sorema was shot and killed by armed men, who were wearing ski masks, at his house inside the Ridge Royale Subdivision, San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan. He died before reaching the Grace Hospital in Barangay Gaya-gaya.

Supt. Fitz Macariola, San Jose del Monte City police chief, said Sorema, alias “Ponga,” was one of the seven individuals who the police invited for questioning regarding the massacre of five family members of Dexter Carlos, including his wife Estrella, her mother Aurora, and their three children.

READ: Massacre in Bulacan

As of this posting, Sorema’s wife is still scouting for funds to claim her husband’s remains.

“May nagpunta na raw ditong taga-city hall kanina at kinuha yung hospital bill. Wala namang ipinangako kung babayaran na ng LGU… yung sampung libong piso o hindi (City hall officials came and got the hospital bill. They did not promise, however, whether the LGU would pay the P10,000 or not),” Escosio said.

Sorema’s mother, Rosario, continued to insist that her son had nothing to do with the massacre case, report said. Rogelio Nato, Jr. / JPV