Authorities search for 4 OFWs missing in Myanmar quake – DFA

Metro Manila, Philippines – Four Filipinos remain unaccounted for following the devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

In an interview with reporters on Monday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega did not disclose the identities of the missing Filipinos but confirmed that they were all teachers in an international school in Mandalay City, the area hit hardest by the tremor.

"Apat ang hinahanap pa sila, maaaring nandun sila sa kasama ng isang gusali na bumagsak, yung isang condominium doon. So sila ng apat, ang awa ng Diyos, well, hindi pa nadadagdagan yung number na nawawalang Pilipino. So, we hope pa rin for the best," said De Vega.

[Translation: Four individuals are still being searched for. They may be trapped inside a collapsed building, a condominium in the area. By God's mercy, the number of missing Filipinos has not increased. So, we are still hoping for the best]

The DFA official did not rule out the possibility that the number of missing Filipinos could rise.

Filipinos who cannot contact their relatives based in Myanmar can call the hotline: +95-998-521-0991. They can also contact OWWA at 1348 or reach out via the DFA’s official Facebook page, Overseas Filipino Help.

PH sets assistance fund, deploys humanitarian aid team

The DFA has allocated $100,000 (approximately P5.7 million) to assist affected Filipinos in Myanmar.

According to De Vega, there are 151 Filipinos in Mandalay City.

"May mga Pilipino humingi ng assistance. Hindi dahil nasaktan, pero baka kailangan lumipad ng lugar o nawawala ng trabaho muna. Humingi ng financial assistance authorization yung ating embahada," he added.

[Translation: Some Filipinos have requested assistance—not because they were injured, but because they might need to relocate or have temporarily lost their jobs. Our embassy has sought authorization to provide financial aid]

So far, no Filipino has requested repatriation in the wake of the disaster, De Vega said.

"Wala pa nagrequest. Napapansin namin yan pag may earthquake or may natural disaster may gyera, matagal bago humingi ng repatriation. Right now, ang problema kung humingi ng repatriation, hindi natin mauuwi from Myanmar dahil sira yung airport ngayon doon, so we'll have to pass them to Thailand," said De Vega.

[Translation: So far, no one has requested repatriation. We’ve noticed that in cases of earthquakes, natural disasters, or war, people take time before seeking repatriation. Right now, the issue is that even if someone requests it, we won’t be able to fly them out of Myanmar because the airport is damaged. We would have to transport them through Thailand]

The Philippine government is also sending a humanitarian aid team to assist in disaster response efforts in Myanmar.

"Mga April 2, April 3, nandoon na sila. They're ready to be deployed today or tomorrow. The thing is, I think they'll have to fly to Thailand muna before they go to Myanmar. So, we'll see what we can do," De Vega added.

[Translation: By April 2 or 3, they should be there. They’re ready to be deployed today or tomorrow. However, I believe they will have to fly to Thailand first before proceeding to Myanmar. We’ll see what we can do]