Search continues for missing Filipino doctor in Nepal flood, says PH envoy

NEW DELHI – The search continues for Filipino physician Dr. Juan Carlos Manalo, who remains missing following the devastating flash floods in Nepal, Philippine Ambassador to India Josel Ignacio told reporters.

Ignacio and Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro held a news briefing on Friday ahead of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s visit at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ambassador said the embassy and the honorary consulate in Nepal are ready to lend all support to the family of Manalo.

“The embassy and the honorary consulate are exerting effort in direct contact with the Nepalese government and the responders to track the progress of the search effort. And nandiyan tayo ngayon," Ignacio said.

"We are in touch with the family, including the call of the Nepal government for family members of the missing to provide DNA information,” he added.

Manalo, a 30-year-old physician from Tarlac City, was in Nepal for a pilgrimage tour when he went missing following a flash flood at the Nepal-China border, according to his family.

His sister, Chiara Manalo, described Juan Carlos as a physician who has also spent the past few years pursuing his interest in yoga and spirituality.

Juan Carlos graduated from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health in 2021 and currently practices as a general physician.

He previously worked as a physician-on-duty at the dialysis center of Tarlac Provincial Hospital.

Outside medicine, Juan Carlos has been part of the Isha Sadhguru group for several years. His involvement with the group led him to India in May this year for a long retreat and later to Nepal in August for the Kailashyatra pilgrimage.

“He’s been into yoga and inner engineering for a couple of years now,” Chiara told GMA News Online. –NB, GMA News