THE PROVINCIAL government called on residents with missing family members from the landslide in Masara, Maco to inform authorities for appropriate consolidation and verification.
The Management of the Dead and Missing Person (MDM) Cluster released the guidelines for ante-mortem data collection and post-mortem examination on Sunday, Feb. 11.
Family members are advised to approach the MDM in the incident command post in Barangay Elizalde, Maco to enter their report in the blotter to declare the missing individual officially.
The missing bodies are profiled in the ante-mortem, wherein the family has to wait for the post-mortem examination conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation Disaster Victim Identification (NBI DVI) in two funeral homes where the cadavers are brought.
The identified funeral homes are St. Peter Funeral Homes in Montevista and St. Thomas Funeral Homes in Mawab.
Claimant family members are told to bring documents to identify the missing victim such as photographs, identification cards, fingerprints, dental records, among others, and documents to certify their relationship to the person(s) missing.
The claimants are advised to get the signed Certificate of Postmortem Examination from NBI DVI and bring the document back to the MDM to approach the Municipal Health Office and Municipal Civil Registrar for the issuance of death certificates.
Leah Anora, Department of Interior and Local Government Davao de Oro MDM staff said the majority of the retrieved bodies are coming from APEX Mining company and only a few counts from the community.
Anora said there has been confusion as to the changes in the number as there are still unidentified bodies laid in the funeral homes where a post-mortem is underway, which was not reported missing by a family member.
The only time an individual will be included in the missing list is when a family member or relative claims he/she is indeed missing.
“Our basis is those blottered missing individuals, doon sa retrieved cadavers, ginagawa natin ng documentation before being brought to funeral homes,” Anora said.
MDRRMO Maco released the updated list on Sunday 7pm, wherein there are 54 retrieved dead, 32 rescued/injured, and 63 still missing. Comparing it to the report on the same day at noon, there are 37 recovered dead, 32 rescued/injured, and 63 missing.
Despite the increase in the number of recovered cadavers, the number of missing stayed at 63.
As of Feb. 12, 7 a.m. the death toll has risen to 55, meanwhile, the provincial government did not post the number of missing individuals as the tally along with the unidentified bodies is still under validation.
Anora said the distortion of the face and body of the cadaver is also a factor affecting the delay in the recognition of the person.
