4 Filipinos missing in Myanmar–DFA
Four Filipinos in Myanmar remain unaccounted for after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the country on Friday, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said on Sunday.
“The latest information is that four [Filipinos] are unaccounted for, not just two,” Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in an interview on dzBB on the powerful quake that killed more than 1,600 people.
Among them are a husband and wife who lived in a building that collapsed after the earthquake.
“Two were together, and they were in a building that collapsed, which was their residence. All of them are professionals, including teachers and office workers,” De Vega said.
So far, no one from the Philippines has contacted the embassy for information on the missing Filipinos, De Vega noted, urging continuous prayers for their safe recovery.
“In Thailand, there are no reported incidents because, despite the large number of Filipinos … no buildings collapsed there, and things are more or less returning to normal,” De Vega said.
For emergencies, individuals may contact the Philippine Embassy in Yangon via hotline +959985210991 or through its official Facebook Messenger.
For those in Thailand, the embassy can be reached via hotline +66819897116 or email at bangkok.pe@dfa.gov.ph.
PH team on the way
The Philippine government has already sent a humanitarian assistance team to aid in the rescue of earthquake survivors.
In a statement, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) convened an interagency meeting to coordinate the Philippine response.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., chair of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), conveyed his condolences to the people of Myanmar.
“We stand in solidarity with Myanmar during this difficult time. The Philippines is ready to respond to the urgent needs of our neighbors, and we are mobilizing resources to provide assistance as quickly as possible,” he said.
Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, OCD administrator, said agencies are committed to assisting Myanmar, drawing from their experience in providing immediate aid during earthquakes.
The OCD mobilized its humanitarian efforts after the Myanmar government requested urgent assistance, which includes teams for emergency search and rescue with K-9 and medical assistance.
It also asked for medicine, medical equipment, emergency first aid kits, mobile generators, water sanitation kits, solar-powered lights and temporary shelters, such as tents and tarpaulin sheets.
According to the PCO, Naypyidaw Airport will serve as the primary entry point for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, while Yangon Airport may be utilized as a refueling site for aircraft.
The PCO said an emergency medical aid team from the Department of Health, consisting of 31 personnel, is also on standby.
The OCD has also activated one light urban search and rescue team each from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and private companies Apex Mining Corp. and First Gen-Energy Development Corp.
The Philippine contingent, numbering a total of 80 personnel will be lead by Air Force Lt. Col. Erwin Diploma.
It could happen to us again
Meanwhile, legislators raised concerns on the structural integrity of public infrastructure across the country after the Myanmar quake.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said the devastation in Myanmar and the recent collapse of a bridge in Isabela are pressing reminders of the need for greater preparedness.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, for his part, has expressed solidarity with Myanmar and Thailand, and assured both countries that the House of Representatives was ready to extend help.
Romualdez on Sunday said he wants disaster risk reduction and management agencies and the MMDA to be transparent on their preparations should the “Big One” hit the country’s capital region. —With reports from Jeannette I. Andrade and Melvin Gascon
