Human bones wash up on Tacloban shores two months after Yolanda

Residents living near Tacloban City's Botanical Garden woke up to a grisly discovery Thursday morning: human bones.

The bones were washed up on the shores behind the garden and were believed to be from a victim or victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which devastated the city and many other areas in the Visayas last November 8.

A report on GMA News' “24 Oras” said the bones were buried at a mass grave for Yolanda victims in Brgy. Suhi in the city.

The report said local authorities were not sure if the bones belong to a single person.

Former senator Panfilo Lacson, who is leading the government rehabilitation efforts in Yolanda-affected areas, said it is “not abnormal” that remains of typhoon victims continue to be discovered two months after the devastation.

In an interview aired on the same report, Lacson said it takes time for body counts from tragedies such as Yolanda to be closed. “Hanggang ngayon, it's still open... In our case, we cannot really close the body count dun sa mga victims ng Yolanda,” he said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council's (NDRRMC) latest official death toll for Typhoon Yolanda is 6,201, with 1,785 missing persons.

Foreign help

Meanwhile, foreign help continues to pour in for areas devastated by the super typhoon.

More than two months after Yolanda hit the country, many aid agencies have shifted their focus from giving typhoon victims their immediate needs to their health, housing, and educational needs.

“[We have] three top priorities: that people are safe—and that includes their [access] to healthcare, that people have the food they eat to be nourished—and of course, the housing. But the third thing must be schools,” said Kate Gilmore, deputy executive director of the United Nations Population Fund.

Restoration of basic services is not the only preoccupation of Tacloban's local government this January. Officials from the Philippine National Police (PNP) are gearing up for the visit of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the reigning king of the Scandanavian country.

The king is set to visit on Sunday, escorted by Vice President Jejomar Binay.

“In Tacloban City, we can use 150 personnel, augmentation, tapos 'yung mga traffic personnel natin. Hindi ito ordinaryo na bisita. Ito'y isang king, kaya kung ano man ang security preparations para sa kanya, gagawin natin," said Senior Superintendent Bong Cabilla of Tacloban PNP.

Tacloban City Councilor Cristina Romualdez, wife of Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez, said international interest in the recovery of Yolanda-stricken areas is a big boost to the community's morale.

“It helps to feel the love, that they care for us no matter what happens, no matter how bad it is, they're here to help us,” she said. — Rie Takumi/KBK/KG, GMA News