Nearly 90% in Yolanda mass grave identified

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — After more than a decade of having nameless crosses in a lonely field, victims buried in the Yolanda mass grave may finally have their names in their resting places.

Following the completion of DNA analysis, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Office VIII has announced a breakthrough: nearly 90 percent of the victims buried in the mass grave have been identified.

Results of the disaster victim identification are expected to be released on Nov. 8, before the 13th anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda’s onslaught, according to NBI Region VIII director Jeremy Lotoc.

For 13 years, over 2,200 deceased have lain in the mass grave at the Holy Cross Memorial in Barangay Basper, Tacloban City.

“These are not just numbers. They are mothers, fathers, children, whose families have been waiting for 13 long years to know where their loved ones are,” Lotoc said.

Once released, the disaster victim identification results will be turned over to Tacloban officials, aiding in the restructuring of the crosses and tombs.

“From nameless graves to named memories – after 13 years of waiting, grieving and hoping, justice and closure may finally come for the thousands who perished in one of the country’s darkest days,” Lotoc added.

About 6,300 people, mostly in Eastern Visayas, died in the onslaught of Yolanda, marking it as one of the deadliest natural calamities in Philippine history.

Tacloban was its ground zero, wherein more than 2,000 residents were killed by the super typhoon and its devastating storm surges that swallowed entire communities.

Thirteen years later, the mass grave in Barangay Basper remains more than just a burial ground – it stands as a sacred place of remembrance, a silent witness to the lives lost and the pain that still lingers.

For families mourning relatives who were never found or identified, the site is where prayers are whispered, candles are lit and memories are kept alive.

Each name remembered is a promise that even after over a decade, Tacloban will never forget.