Singapore agrees to RP's autopsy guidelines
Singapore agrees to RP's autopsy guidelines
SINGAPORE (Agencies): Singapore said yesterday it accepted in
principle Philippine draft guidelines for a joint autopsy of the
remains of one of the victims in the case of hanged Filipina maid
Flor Contemplacion.
Singapore forensic scientists are expected in Manila today to
join Filipino colleagues in an autopsy of the remains of Delia
Maga, one of two people Singapore found Contemplacion guilty of
killing in 1991.
Singapore has "accepted in principle the draft guidelines
proposed by the Philippine government," a Singapore Ministry of
Foreign Affairs spokesman said in a written statement, responding
to queries about the coming investigation.
Singapore's decision to hang Contemplacion last month for
murder has led to a diplomatic rift between the city state and
the Philippines.
In the latest and most prominent casualty, Philippine Foreign
Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo resigned on Monday in hopes it
would help to calm the furor over the case.
Many Filipinos believe Contemplacion is innocent, despite her
confession to the crimes.
One of the autopsy guidelines states that the experts will
conduct their joint efforts "in a confidential manner and will
not issue any public statements while their examinations in
Manila are in progress", the Singapore statement said.
It also said each team will designate one spokesman at the end
of the examinations and before the Singaporeans depart.
It added: "The spokesmen will coordinate their respective
written statements prior to reading their statements before a
press conference. The timing and venue of the press conference
will be mutually agreed upon."
Singapore's spokesman will be assisted by foreign consultants
when answering questions from the media, the MFA spokesman said
in the statement.
Singapore has requested that the autopsy location be "private
and free from media and other intrusion so that the work could be
carried out without distraction and in the most professional
manner," the MFA statement said.
Appeal
In Manila, the nation's largest business group yesterday
appealed to Ramos to spare Labor Secretary Nieves Confesor, a day
after the foreign secretary resigned over the hanging of
Contemplacion.
"We should not succumb to pressures brought by emotionalism,"
the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said in a
statement.
An outraged citizenry have been baying for the heads of Romulo
and Confesor in the aftermath of the March 17 execution of
Contemplacion for double murder.
Ramos, under pressure to please the electorate ahead of the
May 8 congressional and local elections, announced on Monday that
he has accepted "with deep regret" the resignation of Romulo, who
took responsibility for the government's failure to save the
maid.
Ramos said he was still "meditating" on Confesor's fate.
Ramos earlier sacked the Filipino envoy to Singapore at the
time of the murders, and suspended incumbent envoy Alicia Ramos
(no relation) and seven others for "negligence" and dereliction
of duty.
The PCCI said the business community was "confident of
Confesor's leadership and experience that has helped bring about
industrial peace and in the process provided more job
opportunities to the unemployed.
"To replace Confesor at this time would be counter-productive
and set back these programs that are already in place," the group
added.