NBI completes DNA analysis for 90% of Yolanda victims in Tacloban

Posted on November 07, 2026 at 04:25 PM

Tacloban City — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has completed DNA analysis for 90 percent of more than 2,200 victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban, but the identification of the remaining cases is still pending due to a lack of DNA samples, its Eastern Visayas regional director said Wednesday.

NBI Eastern Visayas Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc said the results would be turned over to Mayor Alfred Romualdez for distribution to the victims’ surviving families ahead of the 13th anniversary of the disaster on November 8.

A team of medico-legal and forensic experts from the NBI central office returned to Manila on October 27 after completing the latest round of DNA analysis.

Lotoc said the testing aims to establish the identities of the victims and determine their specific burial locations at the mass grave in Holy Cross Memorial Park.

He said the agency expedited the process after he assumed office as regional director in the last week of August.

However, the remaining 10 percent of cases still require additional DNA specimens before the agency can proceed with identification.

“There are still issues for the remaining 10 percent of victims since we need more specimens, but they will be identified too,” Lotoc said.

DNA testing is used when other identification records, such as dental and fingerprint records, are unavailable or insufficient to establish a person’s identity.

The latest round of testing was conducted with assistance from Tingog Party-list and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

In previous years, the NBI cited limited access to DNA testing facilities as one of the reasons for delays, as the analysis could only be conducted at its central office in Manila.

Lotoc said the agency also plans to extend its identification efforts to victims buried in mass graves in the neighboring municipalities of Palo and Tanauan.

Following Yolanda’s landfall in November 2013, recovered bodies were buried in temporary and common burial sites across affected areas to address public health concerns.

In early 2014, the Tacloban city government transferred thousands of recovered remains to the mass grave at Holy Cross Memorial Park.

Nearly 13 years after the disaster, the NBI’s latest testing marks progress in identifying the victims, although families of those whose remains have yet to be identified continue to wait for answers.

Photo by: Rolly Magallanes