Tacloban:The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has successfully completed DNA analysis for 90 percent of the over 2,200 victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban, 13 years following the catastrophic event, as announced by the agency on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the results of the DNA testing will be handed over to Mayor Alfred Romualdez for distribution to the families of the victims before the 13th anniversary of the disaster on November 8, 2026. A team of medico-legal and forensic experts from the NBI central office returned to Metro Manila on October 27, marking the end of the recent phase of DNA analysis.
NBI Eastern Visayas Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc stated that the DNA analysis aims to assist surviving families in identifying the specific burial locations of their loved ones in a mass grave at Holy Cross Memorial Park. He also noted that the analysis process was accelerated following his appointment as regional director in the last week of August. Lotoc, who is from the coastal district of Sagkahan in Tacloban, personally suffered losses during the typhoon, losing both his wife and father.
The DNA testing is employed as a last measure for identification when families are unable to provide dental or fingerprint records of their missing relatives. Lotoc mentioned that challenges remain for the remaining 10 percent of victims due to insufficient specimens, but efforts continue to ensure their identification.
The intensified DNA analysis was supported by the Tingog Party-list and the Department of Public Works and Highways. In past years, the NBI acknowledged delays in the identification process, attributing it to the availability of DNA testing only at its central office in Manila. The agency also plans to identify victims buried in mass graves in nearby coastal towns of Palo and Tanauan.
In the immediate wake of Yolanda, bodies were quickly recovered and initially buried in temporary or common sites to avert a public health crisis. By early 2014, the city government consolidated thousands of remains at the mass grave in Holy Cross Memorial Park to create a specific memorial area. While awaiting DNA results, many families remain unsure of the exact burial sites of their loved ones, continuing to visit the common graves to pay respects.
