Councilor Balaba calls for families' input on DNA testing of unidentified Sendong victims

Councilor Joyleen Mercedes L. Balaba, chair of the City Council Committee on Social Services, expressed her readiness to address the plight of the unidentified victims of Typhoon Sendong but raised several concerns regarding the process.

This came after Councilor James K. Judith II delivered a special report and proposed two resolutions: first, calling for the conduct of proper funeral services for the unidentified victims' remains which are entombed in a mass concrete at Bolonsiri, and second requesting the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for the status of the DNA extraction conducted in 2012 to identify the remains.

Balaba questioned whether the names of the 300 unidentified victims buried at Bolonsori were included in the memorial tablet located at Gaston Park.

She also urged the families of the missing and unidentified victims to participate in the upcoming committee meeting, stressing the importance of hearing their input, especially on the feasibility of continuing the DNA testing, which could take another twenty years.

Balaba emphasized that the families' sentiments must be considered before any further action is taken.