PH team arrives in Myanmar for two-week deployment to help quake victims
The first batch of a 91-member Filipino humanitarian response team arrived on Tuesday afternoon in the capital of Myanmar to provide disaster response and aid to residents affected by a quake that has claimed over 2,000 lives and left around 4,000 others injured.
The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said the two C-130 planes carrying the initial 58 members of the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent landed at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport around 1 p.m. (Manila time), after a refueling stop at Phitsanulok Airport in northern Thailand.
The remaining 33 other team members will arrive on April 2.
Led by Lt. Col. Erwen Diploma, the team, which will stay for two weeks in Myanmar, is composed of members of the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, the OCD and the private sector.
Thirty-two members of the contingent comprise the three Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Teams (PEMATs), which are among the only 52 emergency medical teams globally certified by the World Health Organization for international deployment.
The PEMATs are composed of doctors, nurses, medical technologists, pharmacists, midwives, nursing attendants and administrative, logistics and technical staff.
Dr. Ma. Ivy Mendoza, team leader of the Eastern Visayas Medical Center, said helping the people of Myanmar was her of way of repaying the assistance it sent to the Philippines after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) devastated parts of the country, especially the Visayas, in 2013.
“It is important to us because I am a survivor of Yolanda. To help them is my way of giving gratitude to those who helped us during that time,” she said.
Ready to assist
In his send-off speech, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno of the OCD expressed his gratitude to the contingent for their expertise and dedication as the Philippines stands in solidarity with Myanmar.
“This mission exemplifies our commitment to ‘One Asean, One Response.’ The Philippines is ready to assist,” Nepomucemo said. “Make our country proud, and make yourselves proud.”
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa expressed confidence that the team would once again demonstrate the country’s expertise in disaster medicine, emphasizing that their deployment also prepares them for potential future disasters at home.
