By U.S. News Agency / Asian

Three out of the 16 fatalities in the Dec. 19 Bed and Breakfast hotel fire were laid to rest in separate local cemeteries in this city and in nearby San Isidro town on Monday.

The relatives of fire victims Nursing examinees Richard Allen Gonzales of Batal village and Jose Julius Gadduang of Plaridel village, both of Santiago City, offered prayers and flowers at their separate graves.

Some women, including the grief-stricken mothers of the victims, hugged the coffins while crying as they paid their last respects.

Father Franklin Piccio, University of La Salette-Santiago president, led the burial Masses for the two fatalities at the St. James Parish in this city.

In Gomez village in San Isidro town, Nelmar Galapia’s mother Marivic turned hysterical as her son’s remains were been buried at the local cemetery on Dec. 27, Monday.

Earlier, the remains of Marlon Justin Viernes were buried on Dec. 26. Two of his brothers working abroad returned home supposedly for a reunion but they grieved instead due to the untimely death of Marlon. Mother Tita, who was seen in the recent burial rites, clasped to her son’s framed photo as she was led to the cemetery.

Earlier on the Dec. 23 burial rites, the relatives of hotel fire fatality Romualdo Respicio of Sampaloc, Cabatuan town admitted that they could hardly cope with the emotional pain brought by Romualdo’s demise.

Romualdo was actually a graduate of the University of Perpetual Help System-Cauayan City but he joined the nursing graduates of the University of La Salette in Santiago City because he reviewed there and that most of the other examinees there were his friends.

On the same day on Thursday, five members of the Fondevilla family, which owned the ill-fated Bed and Breakfast Pension House in Tuguegarao City, were laid to rest. Buried were couple Norman, 32, and Amybelle Fondevilla, 30, who was two-and-a-half-month pregnant; Norman’s sister Mildred, 28, and her children Karylle, 12 and Joshua, five.