Civil records to be restored for Yolanda victims

MANILA, Philippines – Residents of Leyte and Samar who lost their civil records and legal documents due to Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) can now register through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) free mobile registration project.

Still in its early stages of execution, the project has already deployed a few number of mobile registration tents around the provinces of Samar and Leyte starting April 7.

Marmie Liquigan, UNHCR External Relations Manager, said that more mobile tents are to be deployed in the next 2 weeks.

However, the project has already set up 10,000 tents as shelter for the displaced residents.

One durable solution

The free mobile registration project, which is aimed to be fully implemented by June 2014, targets 100,000 of the nearly 50% of survivors to register and reconstruct their civil documents.

These documents are required in accessing basic services needed to recover from the storm such as the conditional cash transfer program and social pension schemes which both require birth certificates before being availed.

“This documentation project which is free of charge is one durable solution we identified for vulnerable populations and communities to continue to access state welfare, education and employment,” Bernard Kerblat, UN Refugee Agency Philippine representative, said.

Convenient process

Through this project, the UNHCR also aims to provide a more convenient process for survivors to secure death certificates for their family members who perished in Typhoon Yolanda.

UNHCR, in partnership with Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services, Inc. (IDEALS Inc.) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), will support 20 local civil registrar offices around Leyte and Samar.

UNHCR previously implemented a civil documentation program for the regions affected by Typhoons Sendong (Washi) and Pablo (Bopha) in the Philippines.

The organization has also been aiding the displaced residents from conflict-areas in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao. – Rappler.com