DFA confirms death of 1 of 4 missing Pinoys in Myanmar
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Wednesday the death of one of four Filipinos earlier reported as missing following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit Myanmar on March 28.
“The [DFA] regrets to inform the nation that the remains of one of the four missing Filipinos in Mandalay, Myanmar, have been positively identified,” it said in a statement.
“The family of the deceased Filipino has been so informed. Out of respect for their privacy in this time of grief, we are withholding further information on the matter,” the DFA added.
According to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the four Filipinos were living in Mandalay, the epicenter of the quake and the second-largest city in Myanmar after Rangoon.
Still missing are Edsil Jess Adalid and his wife, 25-year-old Alexis Gale. The 34-year-old Adalid is a music teacher, while Alexis is an information and communications technology teacher. The couple has been teaching at the Mandalay International School of Acumen since 2023.
At the same time, the DMW said it has successfully relocated 15 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Mandalay to Yangon through the transportation provided by the Philippine Embassy in Yangon.
“Complementing these efforts, the embassy also organized an emotional support session in collaboration with The Counselling Corner, a trusted organization providing psychological counseling and mental health services in Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand,” it announced in a statement.
Here in Manila, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said the whole of Luzon, and not just Metro Manila, must prepare for the “Big One,” a potential 7.2 magnitude earthquake along the West Valley Fault.
“We are not creating panic, but we are trying to raise awareness and concern. Those who might die immediately, there’s no better way of saying it, 30,000 to 52,000 residents. That’s a lot,” said OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno at a news forum in Manila.
He also warned that around 162,000 would be “seriously” injured, while at least 2,800 structures would be heavily damaged and about 500,000 houses would collapse due to the quake.
The figures, he said, were based on a 2004 study by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Earlier, Nepomuceno urged local governments to prioritize retrofitting initiatives in their communities following the deadly Myanmar quake that claimed at least 3,500 lives.
“The most critical step in enhancing our earthquake preparedness is to implement engineering solutions, such as retrofitting essential structures like schools and health centers,” he said. —WITH A REPORT FROM NESTOR CORRALES
