DFA: Filipinos affected by Maui wildfires ‘unlikely’ to seek repatriation

Filipinos based on the island of Maui, Hawaii are not expected to seek repatriation despite the massive wildfires devastating the town of Lahaina, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

Recalling his conversation with the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce, DFA Assistant Secretary Paul Cortes said that the Filipinos whose homes were burned down by the wildfires were already evacuated by authorities to shelters also within Maui.

“Itong mga kababayan natin in the US are permanent residents. Ibig sabihin, doon na talaga sila naninirahan, and it’s unlikely na hihingi sila ng repatriation tulad ng hinihingi ng mga kababayan natin caught in the crisis situations like in Sudan or in Turkey,” Cortes told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview.

(Our countrymen in the US are permanent residents. That means they are already living there, and it's unlikely that they will ask for repatriation like our compatriots caught in the crisis situations in Sudan or in Turkey.)

“In this case, since they live in the United States, and they have the US government assisting them as well, it’s unlikely na hihingi sila ng repatriation [it’s unlikely that they will ask for repatriation],” he added.

Cortes, however, said that the Philippine government will assist any Philippine passport-holders who may still wish to go home and stay in the Philippines for good.

He also reported that the death toll due to the Maui wildfires has reached 93, but authorities have not yet disclosed the breakdown of their ethnicities.

The Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce earlier said hundreds of Filipinos were among the more than 1,000 missing in the wildfires which erupted last week.

“‘Pag sinabi natin na marami sa mga kababayan natin ang nawalan ng bahay o nabiktima nitong fire hurricane, we mean na itong mga kababayan natin ay possibly hindi na sila Filipino passport holders but US citizens na po,” Cortes said.

(When we say that many of our countrymen have lost their homes or become victims of this fire hurricane, we mean that possibly, they are no longer Filipino passport holders but US citizens already.)

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Sunday there were 25,000 Filipino-Americans in Maui, which comprised 17% of the island’s population.

De Vega said that to date, there are no confirmed Filipino deaths arising from the wildfires. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News