Mass burial held for 200 'Pablo' victims in ComVal

December 23, 2012 9:30am

At least 200 still unidentified fatalities of Tropical Cyclone Pablo (Bopha) in New Bataan town in Compostela Valley province were laid to rest in a mass burial Saturday.

Local officials said they had to bury the bodies as it has already been nearly three weeks since the tragedy occurred, radio dzBB reported Sunday.

Officials also cited the potential threat of the decomposing bodies on public health.

They pointed out the bodies had been placed near a lot in the public cemetery and had been attracting maggots.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the bodies should be buried by now.

Earlier, the National Bureau of Investigation advised local officials not to bury the bodies until they were subjected to DNA test for identification.

Compostela Valley was one of the areas hit hard by Tropical Cyclone Pablo, which devastated parts of Mindanao and Visayas earlier this month.


The NDRRMC estimated more than 1,000 people were killed and P34 billion in agriculture and infrastructure destroyed by the cyclone.

Free meals for volunteers 

Volunteer workers repacking relief goods for victims of Pablo are getting some help themselves, the NDRRMC said Sunday.

In its 6 a.m. update, it said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management provided meals of 200 volunteers for five days starting Sunday.

The volunteers are repacking assorted goods at the regional relief operation center.

According to the NDRRMC, the aid is part of international efforts to help those affected by Pablo.

As of Sunday, the death toll remained at 1,067, with 834 still missing.

The NDRRMC said Pablo had affected 711,682 families or 6,243,998 people in 3,064 villages in 318 towns and 40 cities in 34 provinces.

Of these, 3,044 families or 13,940 people are staying in 87 evacuation centers.

At least 76,198 houses were destroyed while 102,506 were damaged.

Damage was estimated at P34.409 billion, including P7.833 billion in infrastructure and P26.527 billion in agriculture. — LBG, GMA News