3 Filipinos hurt in Taiwan earthquake —DMW

Three Filipinos suffered minor injuries following the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that rocked Taiwan on Wednesday morning, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said Thursday.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Cacdac said one of the Filipinos suffered a minor head injury due to a collapsed ceiling, another had hand injury while evacuating, while another fainted during the earthquake.

"All of them are okay, minor ang kanilang natamong injuries. 'Yung dalawa nakalabas na sa ospital," Cacdac said.

(They are all okay as they sustained only minor injuries. The two have already been discharged from the hospital.) 

He said only the one who fainted remains confined at the hospital. 

"Pero stable siya, in good condition. Precautionary medical measures ang isinagawa sa kaniya, just to be sure,” Cacdac said, adding the patient will be discharged from the hospital "in due time." 

(The patient is stable and in good condition. Precautionary medical measures are just being done, just to be sure.)

At least nine people died and more than a thousand more got injured due to the earthquake which was the strongest that hit Taiwan in 25 years.

Taiwan's fire department said the number of injured persons had reached 1,038, and put the total number of missing at 48, including 42 hotel workers.

Financial aid

Cacdac said the injured Filipinos will receive financial assistance from the government. He said the DMW is currently coordinating with the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan for the distribution of the aid. 

More than 159,000 Filipinos are currently residing in Taiwan. Cacdac said that about 65% of them are factory workers living in dormitories, while the remaining 35% work in households as caretakers.

“Wala naman tayong natanggap na ulat na may structural damage sa mga dorms,” he said. 

(We have not received any reports of structural damage in the dorms.)

Repatriation, hotline

Meanwhile, Cacdac assured that the DMW is ready to assist any OFWs in Taiwan who wish to go back to the Philippines following the quake.

In a press briefing, Cacdac said that the department has yet to receive any repatriation requests, saying that this may be due to the nature of work of OFWs in Taiwan where they are all "well taken care of."

"For that reason, wala tayong natanggap na (we have not received any) repatriation request. But we stand ready, of course, to coordinate with [Manila Economic and Cultural Office] chair [Silvestre] Bello [III] for any possible repatriation requests," he said.

Cacdac also said they expect that there will be no work disruptions in Taiwan even after the powerful earthquake, and that OFWs there will be back at work on Monday after a two-day holiday.

Psychosocial counseling will be provided to the injured Filipinos, if needed, Cacdac said.

The DMW has also opened a help desk for OFWs who need any form of assistance after the earthquake, including catering to information requests of those who want to determine the status and condition of their OFW family members in Taiwan.

"We do this for them. We check on their relatives, loved ones, in this case in Taiwan, and confirm ‘yung kanilang (their) status. Thus far, accounted for ‘yung humihingi ng tulong sa atin at lumalapit (we have accounted for everyone whom the callers asked us about)," Cacdac said.

The 24/7 help desk and hotlines of DMW are as follows:

• Philippine hotline numbers: 8522-3663/ 8376-6352/ 8426-0833/ 8293-9155/ 8252-1972
• Mobile number: +63 919 067 3975
• Email: repat@dmw.gov.ph
• Taiwan hotline numbers: +886 932-218-057 (Taipei), +886 988-976-596 (Kaohsiung), +886 966-537-732 (Taichung)

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Wednesday assured that the government is ready to help Filipinos in Taiwan who were affected by the earthquake.

Wednesday's temblor, the strongest in 25 years, hit just as people were readying to go to work and school, focused on the largely rural and sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien.

Buildings also shook violently in the capital Taipei, but damage and disruption there was minimal.

Calamity loan

Meanwhile, the Social Security System (SSS) is preparing a calamity loan assistance program for OFW-members affected by the earthquake Taiwan, SSS president and CEO Rolando Macasaet said at a press briefing.

“This is the first time we will be extending a calamity loan for OFWs, members affected by a calamity abroad,” Macasaet said, noting that calamity loan packages are only offered to members affected by disasters locally.

“I understand that there are about 10,000 [active members] working in Taiwan and a lot of them were affected by the earthquake… so for the first time, we will be extending a calamity loan of up to P20,000,” he added.

The guidelines for the calamity loan is targeted to be issued on Monday, April 8, 2024, subject to the approval of the Social Security Commission.

Under the local calamity loan assistance program, the maximum loan of up to P20,000 is payable for 24 months and has an interest rate of 10% per annum.

Apart from calamity loan, members affected in Taiwan can also avail of medical and disability benefits, Macasaet said. — with Reuters/KBK/VDV, GMA Integrated News