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Authorities in the island town of Coron, Palawan have begun burying unidentified victims of the deadly MV June Aster fire at a temporary burial site, as the death toll from Wednesday night’s tragedy reached 76. ABS-CBN News
CORON, Palawan — Authorities in the island town of Coron, Palawan have begun burying unidentified victims of the deadly MV June Aster fire at a temporary burial site, as the death toll from Wednesday night’s tragedy reached 76.
The burials began as grieving families grew increasingly desperate in their search for loved ones who remain missing—and for answers to what caused the tragedy.
From Borac Port, where DNA samples are being collected from the recovered bodies, the remains are loaded into funeral vans escorted by police. They are then driven for nearly an hour along rough, mountainous roads to San Nicolas Public Cemetery, where the temporary burial site was established.
The cadaver bags are transferred into simple white coffins made of thin plywood before the remains are carefully placed, one by one, into graves dug side by side.
There are no ceremonies. No flowers. No candles.
There are no names on the graves—and no family members present to give their loved ones a final goodbye.
A total of 41 unidentified bodies have so far been temporarily buried while authorities await the results of DNA testing.
Lt. Col. Richard Mangalip, commander of the Disaster Victim Identification Unit of the MIMAROPA Regional Forensic Unit, said the results are expected within several weeks to months.
In Barangay Marcilla, a remote community in Coron, 83-year-old Inocencio Caabay can do little but grieve as he continues to wait for word about his granddaughter, Joana Indic, who was two months pregnant when she went missing.
His pain is compounded by the loss of his 60-year-old daughter, Rosana Indic, who had died of an illness in Manila.
Rosana’s remains had been placed in a coffin and were being transported aboard the MV June Aster by her husband Benjamin Indic and daughter Joana so they could bring her home when tragedy struck.
The family had already prepared for Rosana’s wake at their home on Wednesday night. But until now, they have not been able to bring her remains home.
Rosana is among those whose bodies have been recovered, and the family is hoping they can finally take her home.
“Sana matulungan kami kahit balahibo man lang makita namin. Masakit talaga, misact para sa akin. Anak ko siya, apo ko siya, pinalaki ko pa. Doble ang pagmamahal ko. Alang-alang sa mga anak ko, nabubuhay ako. Pagtitibayan ko pa,” Inocencio said.
“Iyon lang ang sa amin, sir. Kahit buto man lang ang maibalik sa aming barrio,” said Allan Caabay, Joana’s uncle.
Benjamin remains hospitalized after suffering multiple burns on different parts of his body. Joana’s husband, meanwhile, remains in critical condition.
From El Nido on mainland Palawan, Mark Anthony Sado traveled to Coron in search of his aunt, Evelyn Paje, one of the passengers who remain missing.
Because of their age and health conditions, Paje’s mother and sibling could not make the trip to Coron to undergo swab testing.
Instead, Mark Anthony submitted hair and nail samples from his aunt and mother to the Emergency Operations Center for DNA testing.
“Mahirap po talaga sir, ako nga sỉr noon nalaman ko na kasama siya dyan sa manifest naiyak talaga ako sir kasi masakit eh. Hindi pa rin kami nawawalan ng pag-asa, pray lang po kasi may naiwan na 12 na hindi pa nakikita,” Sado said.
Many of the families searching for their loved ones have traveled from Manila and different parts of Palawan to Coron, carrying with them a desperate hope that when they finally return home, they will be bringing the remains of their loved ones with them—so they can give them a proper burial and the dignified final farewell they deserve.
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