FOUR Filipinos remain unaccounted for following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit Myanmar last week.
In a radio interview, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said that two of the missing Filipinos are a husband and wife who were among the residents of a building that collapsed during the March 28 earthquake in Myanmar.
“’Yung four unaccounted Filipinos are professionals, either working as teachers or office workers,” he said.
De Vega said no Filipino casualties have been recorded in Thailand.
“Sa Thailand, wala po (casualties). Hindi naman bumagsak ang buildings doon. More or less, bumabalik na sa normality (ang sitwasyon sa Thailand),” he said.
In a statement, the Philippine Embassy in Thailand declared as “fake news” the reports stating that 10 Filipinos perished in the earthquake.
“As of this time, the Embassy has not received any report of Filipino nationals who were harmed by this unfortunate disaster. The Embassy continues to monitor the situation for any Filipino nationals who may be affected and may need immediate assistance due to the earthquake,” it said.
As of Sunday, March 30, the reported number of fatalities due to the earthquake has reached 1,600.
The Philippine government has already committed to provide humanitarian aid to Myanmar.
The Office of Civil Defense is leading the Philippine response coordination for the delivery of the 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. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)