ILOILO City – The remains of the Ilonggo ship cadet who died in a fire that struck his cargo vessel at the Arabian Sea on March 6 this year were finally home.
The family of Janrey Genovatin of Barangay Cagbang, Oton, Iloilo fetched his coffin from the Iloilo Airport yesterday at around 1 p.m.
“I’m relieved that Toto is now with us after almost four months of waiting,” said Genovatin’s mother Janet.
But she had unanswered questions. What really happened on the ship? Why was her son left behind while almost everyone else survived?
Janrey’s remains were repatriated to Manila from India on June 12 yet. The Genovatin family, however, sought another DNA confirmatory test and an autopsy there.
Janrey’s was one of the three charred human remains recovered from the ill-fated Maersk Honam cargo ship in March.
Janet said two tests showed her DNA matching with the DNA from one of these remains – one conducted in India and the other in Manila.
“It took away the uncertainly that haunted us for months. Yes, we had hoped Toto survived the fire,” Janet told Panay News.
She said Maersk Line, operator of Maersk Honam, had not been forthright with her family.
“We were not given the full details of what happened. It’s as if they were hiding something from us,” she said.
The girlfriend of Janrey, Nikkim Anil Gustilo, told Panay News that on the night of the incident, she was chatting with the ship cadet on the internet.
Their chat was interrupted by a fire call, said Gustilo, and Janrey excused himself to check what was going on.
The following day, Gustilo learned that fire indeed hit Maersk Honam and Janrey was one of the four missing crew.
Gustilo said Janrey was supposed to return to the Philippines on March 12 and they planned to go on a vacation.
There was one other Ilonggo ship cadet missing in the fire – 21-year-old John Rey Begaso of Barangay Balabago, Jaro, Iloilo City.
But according to Begaso’s mother Leila, neither of the DNA samples from the three charred human remains recovered from Maersk Honam matched the DNA samples she submitted. She thus remains hopeful her son survived the ship fire.
“It was on March 12 when they formally informed us that our sons were dead. We ask the company if we could go to India where the remains were taken but they didn’t allow us,” said Janet.
Maersk Honam caught fire in the Arabian Sea off Agatti Isles in Lakshwadeep Islands near India.
The Arabian Sea is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by north-eastern Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula, and on the east by India.
When her son’s remains were repatriated to Manila on June 12, said Janet, there was no accompanying death certificate, accident or police report, or autopsy report.
“Without a death certificate, how could I bury my son,” she said.
Janet sought assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the latter promised to help her secure a complete “Report of Death.”
She and Leila went to DFA’s central office in Manila on June 27 and asked assistance to go to India and personally make inquiries.
“We want the full details of what happened to the ship and to our sons,” she said.
Janrey and John Rey were best friends since high school.
Leila said the local agency of Maersk Line in India initially reported there were four dead bodies recovered but the shipping company later said there were only three because one turned out to be part of the body of either of the three remains.
Search and rescue operation began immediately after Maersk Honam sent out a distress signal, according to Maersk Line. Several container vessels diverted their route to assist in the search and rescue operation.
Janet said she has accepted the death of her son. Janrey’s interment is on July 15.
“His early demise is painful for us but we can’t do anything about that. What we can do now is give him a proper burial,” said Janet./PN
