1,005 Yolanda victims yet to be declared dead

MANILA, Philippines — At least 1,005 individuals reported missing in Samar and Leyte when Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated parts of Eastern Visayas in November 2013 have yet to be officially declared dead, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said yesterday.

OCD spokesman Director Edgar Posadas said the families of the missing people should secure a court ruling first before they could be declared dead.

“Under the Civil Code of the Philippines, missing persons, especially from disasters, can be declared dead already after four years of an extensive search. But the declaration should be authorized by the court in lieu of the death certificates,” Posadas said.

The families of the missing have yet to receive compensation from the government due to lack of death certificates.

 Under the law, surviving families of victims of calamities are entitled receive P10,000 each.

He said the OCD has released more than 4,000 death claims to families of the victims.

The government’s official death toll from Yolanda reached more than 6,000 on top of the 1,800 people missing.