BuCor starts burying dozens of unclaimed Bilibid cadavers

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Friday started burying the dozens of unclaimed cadavers of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), with more scheduled next week.

According to Jhomer Apresto’s report on Super Radyo dzBB, 60 cadavers were buried at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) cemetery in Muntinlupa City on Friday morning.

An initial information from BuCor showed that most of the inmates that were buried passed away from January to October this year.

Each of the cadavers had its own wooden coffin and gravestone.

According to BuCor officer-in-charge Gregorio Catapang, 60 more bodies are scheduled to be buried next Friday, December 2.

The bodies were among the 176 deceased NBP inmates discovered by authorities earlier this month at the Eastern Funeral Homes.

BuCor Senior Superintendent Ma. Cecilia Villanueva of the Directorate for Health and Welfare Services said that with the burial, around 40 cadavers will be left at the Eastern Funeral Homes.

“May I make mention po na kaya po merong unclaimed may mga dumadating pong relatives, hindi na po talaga kine-claim yung body, kinukuha na lang po yung death certificate,” Villanueva said.

(May I make mention that the reason there are unclaimed bodies is that relatives only claim the death certificates, not the bodies.)

She said they allot a 90-day period allocated to families who may wish to claim the bodies of the inmates.

“Kaya nga po tumatagal ng 90 days kasi po parang binibigyan namin sila ng pagkakataon na baka po may dumating pa na relatives. Eh yun nga rin po yung baguhin kasi masyado pong mabaha,” she said.

(We give them the chance in case any relatives come to us. We want to change this because it’s too long.)

“Pero sa totoo lang po bihirang bihira po na may pumupuntang relatives kaya po naiipon. HIndi naman po namin gusto na yun po ang nangyari,” she added.

(Honestly, the relatives of inmates seldom come so the bodies accumulate. We don’t want this to happen.) —Joahna Lei Casilao/KBK/RSJ, GMA Integrated News