‘Bayanihan’ spirit alive among Filipinos in quake-hit Myanmar
Rescue teams work to evacuate residents trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building “Sky Villa Condominium development” in Mandalay on March 30, 2025. —Photo by Sai Aung Main/Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — The Filipino humanitarian team dispatched to Myanmar returned home on Sunday after completing a 10-day mission to provide essential support and disaster relief operations for the quake victims there.
The Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC) composed of 89 personnel from various agencies, was welcomed at Villamor Air Base by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.
The contingent included members from the Office of the Civil Defense, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Army, Department of Health-Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (DOH-Pemat), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Bureau of Fire Protection, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Emergency Response Team, as well as Energy Development Corp. and Apex Mining Co. Inc. from the private sector.
READ: Philippines deploys search and rescue team to quake-hit Myanmar
Even in a foreign land and amid the devastation, the spirit of “bayanihan” (volunteerism based on camaraderie) remains alive among Filipinos, members of the team shared.
Dr. Ivy Lozada, Pemat Visayas head, said Filipino teachers and volunteer students helped them by serving as interpreters for Burmese patients at their post in Pyinmana township in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw.
Burmese people also expressed their thanks to the Filipinos, with some traveling around 300 kilometers north from Yangon to deliver food and water to them.
“We did not feel hungry or restless because the locals there always brought us food. It was very hot there, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius, but we did not mind because they treated us very warmly there,” she added.
Lozada said during their mission, she met a Burmese doctor who was deployed to Bogo City, Cebu, to help in the aftermath of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
“I told him that we are giving back the help they gave us,” she added.
“The people of Myanmar need more medical services. Many of our patients there have diabetes and hypertension, and they do not have access to essential care. They are not being checked by doctors because the patients are still afraid to go inside hospitals because of the aftershocks,” Lozada said.
“They also need psychosocial help. Many of the people here are still traumatized and afraid of aftershocks that they chose to sleep outside of their houses,” she added.
“We gather not only to welcome home our brave men and women, but also to honor the selflessness, compassion and unwavering spirit that you have demonstrated in the face of tragedy beyond our shores,” Herbosa said in his speech welcoming the PIAHC.
