No Filipino casualties reported so far from Taiwan earthquake —MECO

There have been no Filipino casualties reported so far following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Taiwan on Wednesday morning, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said. 

"Based on our monitoring in Taipei and the reports from our field offices in Taichung and Kaohsiung, and the reports coming from our Filipino communities in Taiwan, there are no Filipino casualties or injuries in the aftermath of the earthquake and the aftershocks," MECO chairman Silvestre Bello III said in a statement. 

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, MECO deputy resident representative Alice Visperas said they are continuously coordinating with offices in areas in central and southern Taiwan to check on the condition of the Filipinos there. 

"Sa awa ng Diyos ay maayos naman ang ating mga kababayan. Wala pa tayong reported as of now na any injuries or casualties among Filipinos, as reported by our Filipino community leaders," Visperas said.

(Thank God our countrymen are fine. As of now, we have not received reports of any injuries or casualties among Filipinos, as reported by our Filipino community leaders.) 

"Ang atin ding mga empleyado dito ay maayos naman ang kalagayan," she added.

(Our employees here are also in good condition.) 

A Reuters report, citing Taiwan central weather administration, said the magnitude of 7.2 hit Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, on Wednesday morning.

Protocols activated

In a post on Facebook, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it is monitoring the situation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan following the earthquake.

It also said its three Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs) in Taiwan have immediately activated protocols with Filipino communities, leaders, relevant Taiwan government agencies, employers and trade associations to ascertain the safety and status of Taiwan-based OFWs. 

"The Taiwan MWOs are prepared to provide immediate assistance to affected OFWs as necessary," the DMW said.

Visperas said there are over 150,000 Filipinos in Taiwan. In Hualien where a building reportedly collapsed, she said no more than 5,000 Filipinos are based there.

The DMW, meanwhile, said there are 66,475 OFWs in Taiwan as of December 2023.

'Very scared'

Bello said the quake left many OFWs in Taiwan "very scared" as the buildings they were in swayed and the ground was shaking.

OFW Lorence Panquico said that she was very frightened during the earthquake as she was on the 11th floor of a 30-storey building. 

"Nagsasampay ako ng damit tapos biglang nag-lindol. Dahan-dahan siya hanggang lumakas nang lumakas. Kinabahan ako. Nakahawak na lang ako sa pader,” she said in a separate Super Radyo dzBB interview. 

(I was hanging clothes and suddenly there was an earthquake. It was slow at first, and suddenly it got stronger and stronger. I got nervous. I just held on to the wall.) 

Panquico said some of the things in the place where she is serving as caretaker got broken.

She also said there are still aftershocks following the strong earthquake.

At the epicenter of the quake in Hualien, Filipino-Taiwanese Joseph Chua was able to document the shaking cables and damaged convenience stores in the area.

“At 8:00, it was very terrifying. So, I was actually still in bed. Actually, everything was moving. The bed was moving, my bottles were moving, the paintings fell, and a lot of stuff fell,” he said in JP Soriano's report on ''24 Oras.'' 

In Zhunan, Miaoli County, Bryan Colocar said that he and up to 400 Filipino factory workers and engineers felt terrified during the quake.

“Akala ko ganun lang kasi sanay naman kami dito sa Taiwan po na madalas lumilindol, kaso yung pangalawang ano po, talagang nag dire-diretso na siya kaya nag-panic na yung mga kasama ko sa kwarto. Tumakbo na eh. Ang ginawa ko, tumakbo na rin ako,” Colocar said.

(I thought it was just that because we were used to earthquakes here in Taiwan, but the second time it kept going, so my roommates panicked. They ran. So what I did was run too)

DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said OFWs who need help may call the 1348 hotline of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), or message their official Facebook pages.

"Dumulog lang po do'n. At siyempre ang ating labor representatives on the ground ay nandoon din," he said in a Balitanghali interview. 

(Just message them. Of course, our labor representatives on the ground are also there.) 

In the Philippines, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued a tsunami warning covering the Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, llocos Norte, and Isabela following the Taiwan quake.

The warning, issued at 8:17 a.m., was lifted past 10 a.m.    —with Anna Felicia Bajo and Jiselle Anne Casucian/KBK/VBL, GMA Integrated News