THE remains of the 59 unidentified passengers of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars that were buried at the Carreta Cemetery since 2009 were moved to a common grave alongside other remains.
Jesse Desuyo, officer in charge of the Carreta Cemetery, said they decided to exhume the bones of these unidentified ship passengers and transfer them to the common grave.
“We pulled them out from their individual tombs in 2015 as part of our protocol to exhume the remains when it has already been buried there for over five years,” he said.
At least 59 unidentified bodies have been buried at Carreta Cemetery since 2009, a year after the sea tragedy.
The Princess of the Stars, owned by Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. (formerly known as Sulpicio Lines Inc.) left the port of Manila en route to Cebu at the height of typhoon Frank.
Only 32 out of the ship’s 820 passengers and crew on board survived as the vessel capsized off Romblon province on June 21, 2008.
In Cebu City, 63 cases were filed in court in relation to the maritime tragedy.
Four of these cases were dismissed. The Public Attorney’s Office is contesting the ruling before the Court of Appeals.
In all dismissed cases, the courts took into consideration the “Release and Quitclaim Deed” signed by the families of the victims.
The court said signing the quitclaim deed waives the right of the victims’ families to pursue a second compensation.
The dismissed cases are being reviewed by the Court of Appeals.
In Manila, 71 cases in relation to the sinking of the Princess of the Stars were filed.
Also buried at the Carreta Cemetery were the unclaimed bodies of victims of the MV St. Thomas Aquinas which sank near Talisay City following a collision with a cargo ship on August 16, 2013.
Desuyo said at least 42 remains are set to be exhumed in 2019.
“No families have been here to visit the remains. Perhaps, it’s because they remain to be unidentified or maybe the families are not from Cebu,” Desuyo said.