DFA, NBI getting medical records of missing Pinoys in NZ quake

The Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Bureau of Investigation are working to get the medical and dental records of 11 Filipinos still missing in the magnitude-6.3 quake that hit New Zealand last month. Officials from the DFA and NBI requested the relatives of the missing Filipinos for fingerprint and dental records so a Philippine Embassy team can help identify bodies, or survivors, recovered from the rubble. "[Philippine] Charge d'Affaires (CDA) in Wellington Giovanni Palec has reported the New Zealand police are gathering pieces of evidence including personal belongings (e.g., the last clothes worn, etc.) to verify identities – through DNA testing – those who perished. New Zealand authorities would not release the identities of those who perished unless and until they have recovered the bodies and verified their identities," the DFA said in a news release posted on its website. For its part, the Cebu provincial government is helping families of some of the missing Filipinos go to New Zealand. A report by dzBB's Cebu affiliate said the provincial government is offering the families round-trip tickets. The Philippine Embassy team in Christchurch and the DFA's Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) are presently coordinating with the NBI in Manila to facilitate and gather the records. So far, the DFA-OUMWA has forwarded to Christchurch the information about the missing Filipinos that it gathered from the DFA Office of Consular Affairs database. For its part, the Embassy team is directly and regularly in touch with the relatives of the 11 Filipinos who remain missing. "The DFA-OUMWA is also continuously assisting them by ensuring that they are provided regular updates about the ongoing efforts done by the Embassy team in Christchurch," the DFA said. Meanwhile, the DFA-OUMWA is assisting the relatives of the missing Filipinos who wish to go to New Zealand to assist in the identification of the fatalities. It is coordinating with the New Zealand Embassy in Manila for the issuance of visas, and assisting in the expeditious release of the relatives' passports and other requirements for the trip. Earlier, the DFA reported that CDA Palec, through a telephone conference Saturday with the Cebu-based families of the five of the missing Filipinos believed trapped in the rubble of the CTV building, provide the relatives with the latest updates from New Zealand police and other officials and the initiatives undertaken by his team. The missing Filipinos are Jessie Lloyd Redoble, John Kristoffer Chua, Ezra Mae Medalle, Emmabel Anoba, Jewel Francisco, Ivy Jane Cabunilas, Mary Louise Anne Amantillo, Valquin Bensurto, Rhea Mae Sumalpong, Erica Nora, and Lalaine Collado Agatep. "No person has been rescued alive since last week," the DFA noted. It added a certain Elisa Torres, who was earlier thought to be a 12th missing Filipino, was determined to be of another nationality. Mr. and Mrs. Sumalpong and Mrs. Lourdes Redoble, parents of two missing Filipinos, are now in Christchurch to assist in the identification of their loved ones. OWWA members The DFA-OUMWA also verified that two of the 11 Filipinos are Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) members Lalaine Collado Agatep and Ivy Jane Cabunilas. As members, they are entitled to OWWA benefits and assistance, it said. Meanwhile, the DFA said the New Zealand government had declined an offer by the Philippine Mine and Safety and Environment Association to send a trained team to assist in the search and recovery operations in Christchurch. "However, the New Zealand Government politely declined as there are already sufficient search and rescue teams on the ground," the DFA said. The embassy team had repeatedly asked and prodded rescue officials to continue on with the search, given the text messages that were sent by a number of missing Filipinos to their families, immediately after the quake. Authorities are on the recovery phase of their operations, including in the CTV area which has received intense international attention due to a large number of missing students, including Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Thai and others. The New Zealand police shifted from search and rescue to recovery phase as early as Friday last week. The remains of those recovered are transported to a military camp in Christchurch, where the identification and processing take three weeks. "Police authorities have yet to release a consolidated list of missing persons with their nationalities, despite repeated requests by New Zealander and other families searching for definitive answers as to the status of missing loved ones," the DFA said. — LBG, GMA News