PH gov’t to send team for Pinoys affected by Syria quake

Photo courtesy: UNOCHA/Ali Haj Suleiman | Rescue workers look for survivors in a collapsed building in Syria.

WHILE no Filipinos were killed by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Syria, the Philippine government will send a team to the country to assist Filipinos who are still reeling from the disaster.

Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega said the six-member team will provide whatever help the affected Filipinos need.

De Vega said no Filipino casualties were reported in Syria, and all of the Philippine nationals are accounted for. But the Filipinos who survived need relief items, he said.

“Ganunpaman ay nahihirapan po sila; humihingi sila ng tulong na goods, ganoon,” he said in a public briefing.

There are international organizations providing assistance to quake survivors, but he was sure the Filipinos in Syria would appreciate help from their own country, he said.

Turkey updates

Earlier, the Philippines sent an 85-member humanitarian mission to Turkey, which is another country devastated by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

The Philippine team brought search, rescue, and retrieval equipment, as well as relief goods. It has been helping dig through the rubble to look for bodies and possible survivors.

Two Filipinos were reported dead in Turkey. One was buried in Turkey, while the body of the second will be repatriated to the Philippines.

De Vega said there are 248 Filipinos in the affected areas in Turkey. 64 of them were brought to Ankara, where they are currently being sheltered, he said.

More than 60 Filipinos also requested financial assistance, which the embassy provided, he said.

The DFA is now discussing their possible repatriation, he said.

“May mga humihingi pa ng tulong para makauwi ng Pilipinas dahil sa nangyari,” he said.

He said the DFA was just checking their citizenship status as many of them became citizens of Turkey after marrying its nationals.

What happened?

The February 6 earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey, one of the strongest recorded in recent memory, has so far claimed the lives of more than 36,000 individuals.

The temblor brought down tall buildings, which collapsed amid intense shaking.

The death toll is feared to rise as hopes wane of finding survivors in the rubble of the collapsed buildings.

Leila Salaverria

She is a longtime journalist who has written about politics, legislation, the judiciary, health, and human rights. She produced news and feature stories and investigative reports for the country’s top broadsheet.