Local authorities here have refused to confirm or deny that a wake in a mortuary of a church in Cebu City is that of Florencio M. Marimon Sr., the captain of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars.
An insider at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes, the depository of the bodies of the fatalities of the sea mishap, said the body of the missing captain was released to his family on Monday. But authorities refused to confirm or deny this, even if some media outlets reported that Marimon's body was already brought to a chapel.
The insider said Marimon's body was released to his wife and children on Monday morning. But the source said they did not record it officially because the release was made between the family and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The source added that the family requested that the release of the body be kept secret, adding that the family might have been scared of the media.
Dr. Renato Bautista, who headed the medico-legal team of NBI, refused to make any confirmation. "I can not confirm nor deny the story. There was an agreement between me and the Interpol group that all releases of the names should pass through Rose Borromeo. She is the PR (public relations consultant) of Interpol," Bautista said.
The Interpol has sent DNA experts to help in the identification of bodies retrieved from the area off Sibuyan Island, Romblon, where the MV Princess of the Stars sank during a storm last June 21. He explained that the names of all those identified have been given to Borromeo, who in turn would release the information every Thursday.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama who had a meeting with the members of the Disaster Victim Identification-National Bureau of Investigation (DVI-NBI) on Monday, also refused to make confirmation. "It should never come from me because that's a medico-legal matter, it should come from the DVI-NBI," Rama said.
Rama clarified that the policy covered not only Marimon’s case but all other bodies of victims in the sea accident. Rama said that during the meeting, he was told of 88 matched DNA samples and fatalities that were identified. He said around 70 bodies have been released to their families.
According to an ABS-CBN report, the alleged wake of Marimon was held at the Divine Mercy Chapel B of the Sacred Heart Church in Cebu City. A check with the Sacred Heart Church Mortuary showed that there was only one wake in the chapel. The guard on duty said the remains were not of Marimon.
The ABS-CBN reporter said she was first told that the wake was that of Marimon but when she returned with a microphone and a video camera, the mortuary staff denied that the wake was that of the missing skipper. The media, who wanted to check whether the remains were that of Marimon, was not allowed entry to the chapel.
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