DMW urges OFWs affected by Japan quake to call hotline

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday urged overseas Filipino workers in Japan to call its hotline if they need help after the massive earthquake that hit near Honshu's west coast.

In a post on social media platform X, department Officer-In-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac shared the following numbers to call:

• DMW-OWWA Japan Help Desk with hotline 1348 (abroad +632 1348)
• DMW-MWO-OWWA Osaka hotline numbers +81 7022756082 and + 81 7024474016

"Praying for the safety of all. God bless po," he added.

Meanwhile, Filipinos in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan are safe, according to an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, in a text message, said that they were able to immediately get in touch with the Filipino community in the area and that there were no reported casualties as of posting time, according to a report by Rhommel Balasbas on Super Radyo dzBB on Monday night.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 but measured by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) at 7.4, struck central Japan and its western coast on Monday, triggering warnings for residents to evacuate, knocking out power to thousands of homes and disrupting flights and rail services to the affected region. Four people died, Kyodo news agency reported Tuesday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama.

PHIVOLCS said that no tsunami threat to the Philippines has been detected from the quake. — BM/KG, GMA Integrated News