4 years after ‘Sendong’

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE remains of over 250 people who died during the December 2011 onslaught of typhoon “Sendong” are crammed in a chamber at the Bolonsori Cemetery in Barangay Camaman-an, and efforts to identify them have long ceased.

As city hall declared a “blue alert” and the police started crowd control preparations in anticipation of the thousands of people who would start flocking to the city’s cemeteries this weekend, Ricardo Carson, chief of the City Public Services Office, said there is no way of telling how many would pay respects to the nameless Sendong victims or if the burial chamber would be visited at all.

Carson said 250 body bags, some containing two Sendong victims each, were piled up on top of each other in the Bolonsori mass grave.

The eight-foot vault, with a width of six feet and a length of 24 feet, has been defaced by vandals––the burial chamber is now riddled with graffiti four years after the Sendong devastation that traumatized the entire city.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) stopped the work aimed at identifying the dead in 2012 despite extracting DNA from the cadavers due to lack of funds to complete the identification process.

Carson said he doubts if any of those in the vault would ever be identified, citing how poor the government is even at keeping records.

He said the City General Services Office has even lost track of the number of people laid to rest at the 20-hectare Bolonsori cemetery which is being maintained by city hall.

Carson said the City Economic Enterprise Department (CEED) used to be the cemetery’s caretaker. When the City General Services Office took over, he said records were not turned over by former CEED officials.

But for the superstitious who live near the graves of Camaman-an, government records don’t really mean anything because “mysterious voices and cries” they allegedly hear at night and the wee hours serve as their reminder.

A resident, 54-year old Angel Telen, said he would have goosebumbs whenever he sees and hears dogs howling, and birds making unusual noises near the vault.

Another, 12-year old Kevin Nosol, said, “Kadtong akong naduggan kay tingog sa bata nga nangayo ug tabang. Nanlimbawot akong balhibo, midagan ko pa-uli sa among balay.”

He said the “mysterious voice” came from the Sendong mass grave.

Meanwhile, city hall’s disaster riskeduction management office said it has raised the alert level to “blue” as it prepares for the cemetery crowds from Saturday till Tuesday, according to Allan Porcadilla, the office’s chief. All Souls’ Day is on Monday.

A blue alert means all government offices and private groups involved in disaster riskeduction management are activated.

In Misamis Oriental, the capitol would be deploying teams to various cemeteries to help people on orders of Gov. Yevngeny Vincente Emano, according to Fernando Dy, chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk-Reduction  Management Office.

Chief Insp. Ernesto Daeng, director for planning and operations of the city police, said some 500 officers would be deployed to public and private cemeteries, bus terminals, churches, shopping centers, and vital installations here starting at 12 noon tomorrow despite the absence of security threats.

Daeng said city police director Senior Supt. Faro Antonio Olaguera did not allow any city-based officer to go on leave except those in emergency situations.

Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) chief Nonito Oclarit said he would field 170 traffic personnel to areas near cemeteries in Camaman-an, Bulua, Lumbia, among others.

Oclarit said Mayor Oscar Moreno directed the RTA to ensure smooth traffic flows through Eexecutive Order no. 098-2015.

He said only police vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, and media vehicles would be allowed to enter the Bolonsori cemetery.