‘DNA tests of factory fire victims may take years’

MANILA – It will take not only days but weeks, months — or even years — to identify all the bodies retrieved from the slippers factory razed by a massive fire Wednesday, a forensic expert said.

Speaking to radio dzMM on Friday, Dr. Raquel Fortun said the process of identification through DNA tests will take a long time.

“Hindi kapani-paniwala yung mga napapanood mo sa TV kasi dramatization lang yan eh, na same day may resulta o the following day,” said Fortun, forensic pathologist at the University of the Philippines (UP).

“Hindi ganyan. Mahirap. Aabutin yan ng weeks, even months, even years,” she said.

A total of 72 people were confirmed killed in Wednesday’s fire, which erupted after a welding equipment allegedly produced sparks and ignited chemicals stored nearby.

Results of an initial probe into the factory fire showed there were no sprinklers in the building and that the facility was overcrowded.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory on Thursday said most of the bodies retrieved from the fire-gutted factory building of Kentex Manufacturing Corp. in Valenzuela City were charred beyond recognition. It said DNA samples will be taken from the bodies for identification.

Their DNA samples will then be compared with DNA samples to be taken from the victims’ immediate relatives.

Kentex Manufacturing Corp. has promised assistance to the bereaved families of the victims as well as to the other workers injured in the blaze.

In a separate interview with dzMM, Atty. Renato Paraiso, legal counsel of Kentex Manufacturing, also said the company will shoulder the expenses for the identification of the charred bodies.

“‘Yung mga officer po, yung mga may-ari po ng kumpanya, hindi po tumatakbo sa mga kung anuman ang responsibilidad,” Paraiso said.

Fortun, however, stressed that conducting DNA tests is expensive.

She said at the UP DNA Analysis Laboratory, a DNA test on a bone sample can cost up to P100,000 while a swab test on a living person costs P15,000.

“So nandito ang teknolohiya, pero ang tanong, may pera ba and secondly kaya ba? May kakayahan ba talaga yung laboratory o ano ba ito, ipapadala na naman natin sa abroad?” she said.

“Mahirap yung nangangako ka, ‘sasagutin namin.’ Kasi I’ve seen it happen na after a disaster, ‘sige na, ilibing na natin, magdi-DNA tayo.’ Tapos aasa yung mga pamilya and then kakalimutan na,” she added.

The forensic expert suggested that authorities further examine the victims’ remains to see if there are still other possible identifiers, such as fingerprints or dental features.

“Baka naman hindi sila lahat sunog na sunog yung daliri. I doubt kung wala na talagang ngipin yan. Nasusubukan pa rin yan e. Kung nandun pa rin yung ulo, susubukan at susubukan yan na eksaminin yung upper and lower teeth,” she said. –Kathlyn dela Cruz, ABS-CBNnews.com with report from dzMM