Second batch of PH team to help in Myanmar set to fly within the day — Herbosa

The second batch of the Philippine contingent that will provide disaster response and humanitarian assistance in Myanmar following a devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake is set to be deployed on Wednesday, April 2, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said.

The 33-man team will fly to Myanmar a day after the initial 58 contingent members arrived in the earthquake-hit country on Tuesday, April 1.

“Myanmar lang ang nag-request ng medical assistance, urban search and rescue, at iba pang mga bagay. Ang Thailand, hindi naman nag-request sa atin,” Herbosa said in an Unang Balita interview.

(Only Myanmar requested medical assistance, urban search and rescue, and other things. Thailand did seek help from us.)

Of the total 91 Filipino volunteers, Herbosa said 32 are from the DOH Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (PEMAT), under the Eastern Visayas Medical Center.

The PEMAT Visayas will focus on providing acute medical care in Myanmar, including life support, trauma management, pharmaceutical provisions, and isolation facilities for patients with communicable diseases.

The team will also facilitate referrals for patients requiring advanced treatment, coordinating with higher-classified emergency medical technicians or integrating them into the local health system as needed.

Herbosa said that among the Philippine contingent’s missions is to help look for the four Filipinos who remained missing following the earthquake. They will also assist in the search and rescue operations for other victims in collapsed structures.

“Maraming buildings ang nag-collapse, marami pa ang kailangan ng search and rescue. May kasama silang team from the Bureau of Fire na urban search and rescue na umalis kahapon,” he said.

(Many buildings collapsed, many still need search and rescue. We have a team from the Bureau of Fire specializing in urban search and rescue that was deployed yesterday.)

The death toll from the earthquake that hit Myanmar on March 28 has reached 2,719 as of Tuesday morning, with 4,521 people injured, and 441 missing, according to a Reuters report. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News