Government Asks Public for More Patience as it Determines True Count of ‘Yolanda’ Casualties

The Palace on Friday asked the public for patience as authorities continue to determine the actual number of casualties during Typhoon Yolanda, saying that such inquiry is a tedious process.

As the country marks this month the second year since the super typhoon battered Eastern Visayas, leaving thousands of people dead, missing or injured, issues have been raised regarding the casualty figure that until now has not been made final.

During a press briefing in Malacañang, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte noted that just like the Filipino public, President Benigno S. Aquino III is also interested in knowing the true number of those who died in the disaster.

While the government is eager to know the real casualty figure, there are processes that must be followed, Valte said.

Based on the last report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), there is a sub-cluster under the ‘Yolanda’ response called the management of the dead and the missing.

She pointed out that whenever there is a report of casualty, it must be validated by the NDRRMC and the Department of Health.

“Hindi po sapat na sinasabi nating mayroon po kaming nakitang katawan dahil po doon sa laki ‘nung nangyari, and in any calamity, we have to make sure na na-i-identify ang body, at nagkakaroon po tayo ng DNA testing para sa ganyan,” Valte explained.

Once the identity of a dead person is validated by the NDRRMC, it could be added to the casualty count, she said, noting that hindi “po kasi pwedeng magpabara-bara ang pamahalaan at sinabing magbibilang lang—kumbaga, ‘yung parang eyeball lang; hindi po kasi ganoon ‘yung kailangan nating proseso,” she said.

Typhoon Yolanda left more than a thousand people missing and they cannot be added to the list of casualties due to the necessary legal processes, the Palace official said.

Valte said that under the law, if a person disappears, he or she can only be declared legally dead after seven years for purposes of inheritance.

“Sa aking pagkakaalam, mayroong shorter period if someone went missing in the event of a calamity, so mas maikli lang ‘yung period,” she said.

The NDRRMC, in January last year, put Typhoon Yolanda’s death toll at 6,190.

In its situational report, the NDRRMC said the number of injured persons remained at 28, 626 and those still missing at 1,785.

The NDRRMC also reported that more than 3.4 million families, or more than 16 million people, in 44 provinces, 591 municipalities and 57 cities in different regions were affected by the powerful typhoon. PND (as)