89 Filipinos in Chile safe

THE government confirmed Sunday that 89 Filipinos who have been accounted for in Chile are safe a day after Saturday’s devastating earthquake that left at least 214 people dead.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Ed Malaya said they received the information through Minister Narciso Castañeda of the Philippine embassy in the South American nation.

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The Filipinos in Chile are mostly based in Santiago, the capital city of Chile, he said.

Malaya quoted Castañeda as saying that Ambassador Consuelo Puyat-Reyes and the members of the embassy staff were safe.

“His (Reyes) residence sustained some damage, but otherwise, no one was hurt among his household members,” Malaya told Sun.Star.

Malaya said contingency measures have already been put in place, such as telephone brigade and evacuation points. The DFA will conduct a phone brigade to get in touch with Filipinos in Chile.

A separate data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) website, however, showed that there were 158 Filipinos working in Chile as of December 2008.

Also on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the country’s tsunami alert level to 2, advising residents of 19 provinces to evacuate.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo Saludo said the government led by National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) has already put contingencies in place, including preparations for the possible evacuation of residents near the coastal areas.

"The NDCC warned eastern provinces to prepare for possible evacuation and disaster actions. Waves are not expected to be much above one meter, but government is ready for any eventuality. We hope Hawaii's downgrade of its alert means less worries for us too," he said.

The provinces that are facing the Pacific Ocean are as follows: Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, northernmost provinces of Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Quezon, Aurora, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Davao del Sur.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said alert level 2 bars swimming and surfing.

The Phivolcs, however, lifted the tsunami alert Sunday afternoon, as no unusual waves were observed in the areas in the eastern coast. The "unusual waves" were earlier expected to hit between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Presidential candidate and tele-evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva called for a day of prayer Sunday following possibility of tsunami waves that may cause damage in the country and for the ongoing extreme weather conditions brought about by the El Niño phenomenon.

“For today, Sunday, let us make it a day of prayer for deliverance from Nature’s wrath. Let us continue to pray the tsunami does not hit any part of our country,” Villanueva said.

He also called for prayers “for relief from the effects of the El Niño phenomenon,” which is affecting the country’s agricultural centers like Central and Northern Luzon. (Virgil Lopez/JMR/Sunnex)