MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said more rescue teams from the Philippine government will be sent to give assistance in Turkey and Syria following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck there.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega said the Philippine embassies in Ankara, Istanbul, and Lebanon will send teams to help with residents and Filipinos who were affected by the strong temblor.
“May parating pang team, kasi meron tayong embahada sa Ankara at konsulado sa Istanbul ang involved, may darating pa na team from Lebanon para magbigay rin ng tulong so yun ang importante,” he added.
(There is another team coming because we have an embassy in Ankara and a consulate in Istanbul involved. There is also a team coming from Lebanon to provide help as well, so that is the important thing.)
The DFA official assured the 64 Filipinos who lost their homes due to the earthquake that they will be given aid and that supplies of relief goods are still enough.
De Vega said that the government is also handing assistance to Filipinos who chose to stay in Turkey and Syria.
According to the DFA, there are a total of 248 affected Filipinos and two casualties in Turkey, while 60 Filipinos in Syria were recorded to have been affected by the quake.
De Vega added that a six-man team from the Philippines will be heading to Lebanon.
“May six-man team sa Pilipinas papuntang Lebanon galing Damascus para magbigay tulong (There is a 6-man team in the Philippines going to Lebanon from Damascus to provide assistance),” De Vega said.
De Vega said anyone who wants to go home to the Philippines will be assisted by the government while some need to acquire their Philippine citizenship first under R.A. 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003
“Kung gusto umuwi ifufund lang, madaling lang, ang iba kasi sa kanila Turkish citizens, kailangan muna iacquire ang kanilang philippine citizenship according to R.A. 9225, kung magagawa natin within several days magsisiuwian na rin ‘yan,” the DFA official said.
(If they want to go home, it will be funded, it’s easy. But some of them are Turkish citizens, so they have to first acquire their Philippine citizenship according to RA 9225; if we can do it within several days, then they will be going home.)
On February 6, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that the Philippines will send an 85-man team to help Turkey after the nation experienced a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. The said team was already deployed on Wednesday last week.
– Meralyn Melitante, Inquirer.net trainee
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