Remains of casualties in Stars tragedy laid to rest

CEBU, Philippines - Like many children, Riza Alipin Hiyas and Adelene Alipin Dimaranan longed to be by their father’s side on Father’s Day but what was supposed to be a special day yesterday was, for them, one of the most painful.

Their parents, Rogelio and Petra, were among those that perished in the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars and while Petra’s remains were eventually recovered, Rogelio’s body is among those still missing.

Riza said their mother’s body was among the second batch recovered but they were advised not to view it because it reportedly was no longer recognizable and doing so may just increase the trauma experienced by the family. 

Rogelio was 63 and Petra was 69 when the tragedy took place exactly a year ago yesterday.

Yesterday, Riza and Adelene joined other grieving families at the Carreta cemetery to bury 38 bodies that have been recovered, 36 of which remain unidentified. The sisters could only hope Rogelio’s remains were among those laid to rest yesterday.

“How could we celebrate this day without knowing where our father is? It is very painful…” Riza said.

Riza, who confessed to be a “papa’s girl”, she and her seven other siblings would always make sure that Father’s day would be a special day for Rogelio. She said it was always the a day for them to show their appreciation for the sacrifices he had made for the family. 

“He was a very loving father. He was kind and gentle to all of us,” she said.

Riza said what made their parents’ tragic passing even more painful at that time was the fact that they died just shortly after they buried her other sibling. She said the entire family went to Manila last year to bury her sibling but her parents chose to stay longer there so they could finish the 40-day novena.

“We didn’t expect that would be the last time we would be seeing them both,” Riza said. 

Riza said their pain would only ease when their parents can be laid to rest together in their hometown in Barili.

Aside from Riza and Adelene, Lilia Noval also joined yesterday’s mass burial in the hope that one of those laid to rest was her son whose body has not yet been recovered.

Her son, Analias Jr., was in the ship after he took his father’s place in the vessel’s sanitary crew. She said her son was very close to his father that is what he followed his footsteps and also worked at the ship. Her husband’s passing due to a disease had even encouraged Analias to work harder but the hard work only lasted for four months.

And like the other families of those that perished in the tragedy, Lilia said she has not lost hope that her son’s body would be recovered once the ship would be salvaged.

Faith Maruto, a member of The Freeman’s circulation department, also shares Lilia’s hopes, as her brother’s body is also among those still missing. Her 20-year-old brother, John Thomas Inso, was working as an apprentice at the M/V Princess of the Stars when the ship sank.

Msgr. Roberto Alesna who officiated the mass at the cemetery told the family members to accept the reality “that death will come to each of us.” He said that it is indeed difficult to accept the manner by which the victims died but the best thing for their families to do is to pray that they rest in peace.

Other family members still wanted re-tests to be conducted on the unidentified remains but Dr. Renato Bautista, chief of the medico-legal division of the National Bureau of Investigation, explained yesterday that earlier tests revealed that those buried yesterday did not match any of the DNA samples.

Bautista said the bones or bodies of those that are still missing might still be trapped inside the ship.

Twenty bodies that have already been identified but have not been claimed still rests at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes.

Meanwhile, Department of Transportation Undersecretary Elena Bautista, head of the Task Force M/V Princess of the Stars, assured fair treatment on the petition to revoke the license of Sulpicio Lines, Inc.She said the department would also take a second look at the passenger manuals to determine if operations were understood and practiced. — AJ A. de la Torre/JMO (THE FREEMAN)