Typhoon Yolanda survivors whose civil documents were damaged or lost during the disaster will still have the chance to reconstruct these vital papers as the multi-agency Free Mobile Civil Registration Project is extended for another six months starting this month.

The project is funded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the amount of P5 million in partnership with the Philippine Statistics Authority-National Statistics Office (PSA-NSO), local government units, and their local civil registrars.

The P5 million check was turned over on Wednesday  to PSA-NSO at the DSWD-Central Office in Batasan Quezon City with DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman witnessing the turnover.

Also present during the turnover were Interim Deputy National Statistician Paula Monina Collado, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Country Representative Bernard Kerblat, Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS) Board of Director President Joey Faustino, UNCHR staff Rico Salcedo, IDEALS Executive Director Edgardo Ligon, Interim Assistant National Statistician Lourdes Hufana, and DSWD Assistant Secretary Vilma B. Cabrera.

Sec. Soliman underscored the importance of continuing this project, which provides the opportunity to recover and reconstitute birth, death, and marriage certificates, among others.

“These documents are required in accessing basic services and transactions with government agencies, non-government organizations, and private institutions,” Sec. Soliman said.

According to Collado, the project was implemented in June 2014 and has already benefited almost 100,000 ‘Yolanda’ survivors from 18 towns and two cities of Leyte and Samar.

She said that an additional 37,500 ‘Yolanda’ survivors in Eastern Samar will benefit from the project extension.

Sec. Soliman acknowledged the strong support of DSWD partners on this project saying that it is very encouraging to note that this is part of the early recovery efforts that we have done in helping thousands of families affected by ‘Yolanda.’

UNHCR and IDEALS embarked on a civil registration project for ‘Yolanda’ survivors early in 2014 and initiated the partnership with DSWD and PSA-NSO to extend the project coverage to close to 40,000 beneficiaries age 18 and below. IDEALS will continue to provide technical services for the project, including the assistance of its 200-strong staff based in Leyte and Samar. ###