At Large
Exporting DNA
By Rina Jimenez-David
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:41:00 07/11/2008
MANILA, Philippines—The good news is that a team from Interpol has arrived in the country to assist (or take the lead) in gathering biological samples from the remains of victims of the Princess of the Stars tragedy and to process these as part of DNA matching. I am sure this will go a long way toward easing the anxieties of the family members that they will eventually be reunited with the remains of their loved ones and thus achieve closure.
But the bad news is that for some reason the processing of the material will be conducted in faraway Sarajevo. In a letter she sent to this paper, Dr. Corazon de Ungria of the University of the Philippines (UP) DNA Analysis Laboratory asks: “Is exporting these samples the best option for the Philippines?” The assistance of groups like Interpol is appreciated, she said, but “how are we going to strengthen our national capability to deal with our own domestic problems if we do not work on solving these on our own soil?”
There are four DNA laboratories which could very well be tapped in the processing of the sea mishap’s victims. These are: the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, St. Luke’s Medical Center, and the Natural Sciences Research Institute in UP. “Can our laboratories work together, with assistance from the national government, to identify our own?” De Ungria asks. “I find it ironic that we, as a nation, already export living Filipinos as OFWs [overseas Filipino workers] for many years. And now we have chosen to export our ‘dead’ because we have failed to come up with a better option.”
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Is there indeed a logical, reasonable explanation for the expatriation of the samples to Sarajevo? Or is the decision based on colonial mentality, the idea that foreign scientists can do a better job than Filipinos?
Certainly, Filipinos can do as good, if not a better, job than foreigners if only they received the support they needed, including the expensive reagents and equipment we see being used routinely in TV shows like “CSI.”
Another source of trouble is our officials, who don’t seem to put much value in scientific processes. In fact, in the wake of the Sulpicio Lines disaster, local DNA experts had already volunteered their know-how, if only to set up the necessary processes for gathering remains and biological samples. Instead, their offers were rebuffed, and someone had the bright idea to call in the Interpol instead.
This is of a piece with previous columns on the “rape kits” that doctors and women activists have been urging police and medical personnel to use to facilitate the gathering of evidence and protect the integrity of the “chain of evidence.” But these kits have instead been ignored and neglected, with authorities refusing to take custody of the evidence gathered and provide the storage facilities to make sure the materials, particularly the DNA, can still be analyzed.
This is a waste not just of money and time (of the victim as well as the medical personnel), but also of women’s hope and trust. Imagine being a rape victim and consenting to undergo examination, despite your trauma, in hopes that the evidence gathered will speed up the arrest and conviction of your rapist. Only to find out later that the evidence was ignored, left to rot in filing cabinets, and deemed inconsequential. Can we blame women for thinking that reporting rape and abuse is just a waste of time and heartache?
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Two letters (“Banner was not Ateneo’s” and “Not in Ateneo de Manila’s character and language” http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20080710-147471/Not-in-Ateneo-de-Manilas-character-and-language) were published recently disputing an account in this space of the behavior of fans at a UAAP basketball game. The account was based on stories shared over a meal by University of Santo Tomas (UST) athletics officials as well as officers of the UST Alumni Association, and so some details may have been lost in the process.
Let me state here that it turns out the boorish supporters denigrating the UST camp came from another member-school of the UAAP and not from Ateneo de Manila University. And that the incident dates back many years.
It’s not my usual practice to respond to letters disputing my column, since I consider adverse reactions as a hazard of the trade. But neither did I want Ateneans and ex-Ateneans to think I was brushing off the error. And if it brought home the point that school officials need to subsidize athletes in all sports and not just those in enormously popular events like basketball, then I think it’s a point well made. And yay, go UST!
As a corollary, it’s remarkable how the news that the President had designated a professional athlete, even if it’s boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, to carry the Philippine flag at the Olympics opening in place of an amateur swimmer, has been met with apparent equanimity by the sports community. Right there, I think, lies the problem of sports development in the country. All the attention, and all the money, go to sports that have commercial potential, to the detriment of athletes in other fields. Pacquiao already makes millions as a pro boxer and top product endorser. Can’t we spare our amateur athletes laboring in obscurity and under onerous conditions even a little recognition and honor?
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A note on “jologs.” Romeo Dalandan, director of the Ateneo Alumni Relations Office, saw fit to include in his letter a lesson on the etymology of the word “jologs,” saying it is derived from singer/actress Jolina Magdangal. Jolina’s father, who is also her manager, has also said it refers to Jolina’s fans.
But this is just one of many speculations on the origin of the term, which generally refers to (young) people belonging to the lower strata of society. I remember a thread in one e-group discussion on “jologs” where one source intimated the term may have evolved from the Briticism “bollocks,” which a rock band member yelled at a rowdy local audience.
Whether “jologs” or “sosyal,” we all still need to talk to each other and treat each other fairly, right?
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