THE Philippine Embassy in yesterday said rescue workers are still looking for a Filipina and her three children who are among thousands missing after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake ravaged the nation and neighboring Syria last week.
“The Embassy has sought the assistance of search and rescue teams in Hatay City on the status of a missing Filipino and their children, feared to be still under rubble,” the embassy said yesterday.
“This has been confirmed by her husband and sister-in-law, both Turkish nationals,” the embassy added.
Weng Timoteo, vice president of the Filipino community in Turkey, said they are also coordinating with the embassy and Turkish authorities in the search for the missing Filipina and her three children.
Last Friday, the embassy said two Filipinos died in the earthquake that has claimed at least 28,000 lives as of yesterday.
The embassy did not identify the fatalities but said together with the consulate general in Istanbul, it is coordinating with the victims’ families in the Philippines and in Turkey.
On the same day, the embassy said a Filipino previously reported as missing was found alive.
Three other Filipinos were assisted by Indonesian Embassy personnel in getting out of Hatay City and are now on the way to Ankara.
Earlier, the embassy said 248 Filipinos were affected by the earthquake.
In a related development, the embassy said a team from the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will be deployed to Turkey to provide additional assistance to the affected Filipinos.
It said Filipinos who are in need of assistance may reach the embassy via telephone and WhatsApp at +905345772344, via email at ankara.pe@dfa.gov.ph and its Facebook account www.facebook.com/PHinTurkey.
AID
The House of Representatives will donate $100,000 (about P5.4 million) as humanitarian aid to Turkey quake victims, through the Speaker’s Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Initiative.
Speaker Martin Romualdez will turn over the assistance to Turkey’s Ambassador Niyazi Evren Akyol and his wife Inddri Puspitarasi today in his office at Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.
The funds will come from the Speaker’s disaster relief and rehabilitation initiative launched during his 59th birthday celebration last November 14.
The Speaker said Turkey was among the first country-responders in the aftermath of super typhoon “Yolanda” (international name “Haiyan”) which hit the country in November 2013.
“The assistance extended by Turkey, the United States and our allies and friends abroad helped ease the pain and suffering of our people,” Romualdez said.
Sen. Francis Tolentino said it is high time to review the National Building Code of the Philippines to make sure that structures are safe and sound, especially in areas near fault lines.
“This may be a tedious discussion, which will include the kinds of materials that will be used in the construction of buildings — the steel and cement to be used,” Tolentino told radio dzBB, speaking in Filipino.
The quake in Turkey destroyed at least 6,500 structures, displacing around 1.3 million people.
Tolentino said a hearing scheduled on Tuesday will tackle Senate Resolution No. 67 which calls for an audit and review of buildings and structures in full compliance with the Building Code, and Senate Resolution No. 150z which will determine the structural integrity of all buildings and infrastructures.
Tolentino also said the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) conducted by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Japan International Cooperation Agency should also be updated.
The study said that if an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude from the West Valley Fault occurs, it will result in the death of about 34,000 individuals and the collapse of 170,000 residential houses in Metro Manila while some 114,000 individuals will be injured and 340,000 houses will be damaged.
At least seven bridges will be destroyed while 10 percent of public buildings will be heavily damaged.
Scientists have recorded four major earthquakes from the West Valley Fault to have taken place in the last 1,400 years, with a recurrence interval of 400 to 500 years. The last major earthquake originating from the fault was recorded in 1658. — With Wendell Vigilia and Raymond Africa
