Cebu City prepares freezer for free body storage
Cebu City’s new cadaver freezer can hold up to 24 bodies. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is preparing to publicly operate a cadaver freezer that will be free for bereaved families and available to all funeral parlors that lack storage space for bodies.
Councilor David Tumulak said a private donor through Secretary Michael Dino, had delivered on his promise to the city to provide a cadaver freezer that could be used to store the bodies of those awaiting burials or cremations.
This is amid the controversies surrounding a storage facility in Barangay Basak San Nicolas, which is suspected to be storing bodies illegally and in an unsanitary way.
The Department of General Services (DGS) took over the freezer on Wednesday, August 17, 2021, at their site at the South Road Properties (SRP) and is preparing for the operations of the freezer.
Tumulak said the freezer could house 24 bodies at once, which would certainly reduce the number of bodies waiting in the funeral homes.
“Para na ni sa mga kaigsuonan nato nga mga biktima sa COVID-19 nga nagpaabot nga malubong ug schedule sa cremation. Aron ang mga tawo dili na magbayad og P13,000 usa ka adlaw, P8,000 succeeding days,” said Tumulak.
(This is for our brothers who are victims of COVID-19 and are waiting for the schedule for burial and cremation. So that the people would not have to pay P13,000 for 1 day and P8,000 succeeding days.)
Visayan Electric Co. has also contributed to the running of the freezer by providing an outlet for 460 voltage of electricity. The utility is working with the city government to provide the needed energy.
The city government will soon announce when the funeral parlors can avail of the freezer.
Aside from the new freezer, two more cadaver freezers are coming to Cebu City. One is from the Department of Interior and Local Government Unit (DILG) and another from the Red Cross.
Tumulak said both freezers were on the way to Cebu City.
Aside from the freezer, the DILG is also sending additional cadaver bags for the sanitary transport of deceased bodies especially the victims of COVID-19.
Tumulak said he hoped that these freezers and cadaver bags would help address the need for space to store bodies as a result to the lack of burial space in the city, which was still currently being addressed.
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