Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said on Monday, March 31, that the Philippines will send a contingent to help find the four Filipinos who remain unaccounted for in Myanmar after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the country and Thailand.
De Vega said the four missing Filipinos were reported to be inside one of the buildings that collapsed in Mandalay, Myanmar during the powerful quake.
“Dinaramdam ko mahirap pang mahanap… Kaya gagawin namin ang lahat nang magagawa para mahanap sila,” the DFA official said.
He refused to confirm if there are any Filipino fatalities in the aftermath of the earthquake “kasi habang hindi pa nakukumpirmado hindi tayo pwedeng mawalan ng pag-asa.”
First, De Vega said the Philippine government must account for the Filipinos in the earthquake-hit cities Mandalay, Naypyidaw, and Yangon.
“Ipagdasal natin na mahanap pa sila,” he added.
He said the government is also ready with its assistance funds for those who lost employment and those needing shelter.
There are 150 Filipinos, mostly professionals, in Mandalay.
The DFA also said that affected Filipinos in Myanmar may request for repatriation.
De Vega told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita that they could activate its repatriation program because of employment issues in Myanmar after the quake.
“Sa Myanmar maaaring magkakaroon dahil may mga nawalan ng trabaho. Iniimbestigahan ng embassy para bigyan ng tugon ang kanilang request,” he said, adding that the same thing happened in Turkiye in 2023.
“Katulad nang nangyari sa Turkiye noong 2023, kapag may gustong umuwi tutulungan natin.”
In Thailand, De Vega said no Filipino has been reported affected by the earthquake.
“Sa Thailand, walang reported na apektado. So, mabuting balita ‘yan,” he stressed.
The death toll in Myanmar rose to over 1,700, foreign media reported, as rescuers scramble to find missing persons amid the rubble of the 7.7-magnitude quake that toppled buildings and is considered as the biggest quake in the war-torn country in more than a century. (Raymund Antonio)
