4 Filipinos unaccounted for after Myanmar earthquake

Four Filipinos in Myanmar remain unaccounted for after a strong earthquake hit that country recently, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said Sunday.

"Ang huling detalye, apat ang unaccounted for [na Pilipino]," DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(According to the latest data, four are unaccounted for.)

De Vega said two of the four Filipinos are a husband and his wife residing in a building that collapsed following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake on March 28.

"'Yung dalawa diyan ay mag-asawa. Tapos du'n sa isang building na kanilang residence — gumuho 'yung building," he said.

(Two are husband and wife. Their residence was in a building that collapsed.)

The four unaccounted Filipinos are professionals, either working as teachers or office workers, the DFA official said.

"'Yung Myanmar, nanghihingi sila ng tulong sa ibang bansa. Maraming namatay... Ipagdasal natin mga kababayan natin du'n," de Vega added.

(Myanmar is asking for help from other countries. Many died... Let us pray for our countrymen there.)

As for Thailand, which also felt the strong quake, there were no Filipino casualties, the DFA official said.

"Sa Thailand, wala po [Pilipinong nasaktan o nasawi]... Hindi naman bumagsak ang buildings doon. More or less, bumabalik na sa normality [ang sitwasyon sa Thailand]," he said.

(In Thailand, no Filipinos [were hurt or died]... Buildings there did not collapse. More or less, the situation is getting back to normal.)

The death toll in Myanmar due to the earthquake has already reached more than 1,600, according to a Reuters report Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Philippine government is working to provide humanitarian aid to Myanmar.

In a statement on Saturday, the Office of Civil Defense said that a critical inter-agency meeting was assembled to coordinate the Philippine response and deliver needed support for affected victims.

"We stand in solidarity with Myanmar during this difficult time. The Philippines is ready to respond to the urgent needs of our neighbors, and we are mobilizing resources to provide assistance as quickly as possible,” said Defense Secretary and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council  chairman Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Myanmar. The Office of Civil Defense, along with other government agencies, is committed to assisting Myanmar, drawing from our experience in providing immediate aid during the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria,” added OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa immediately instructed three Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Teams (PEMAT) to be ready to be deployed once international coordination protocols with the two countries have been completed and a request has been received. These teams also assisted Turkey after a massive earthquake struck in 2023.

De Vega said around 10 people will be deployed to Myanmar to help in rescue efforts.

He also urged Filipinos needing assistance to contact the Philippine Embassy in Thailand at hotline +66 81 989 7116 or the Philippine Embassy in Yangon at hotline +95 998 521 0991. —KG, GMA Integrated News