Marcos tasks Los Angeles consul to identify Pinoys in need amid wildfires

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has tasked concerned authorities to identify Filipinos who are in need and affected by the massive wildfires that hit the southern portion of California. 

''Yes, he directed our consulate in Los Angeles to work with local authorities in identifying Filipino nationals in need of assistance,'' Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez told GMA News Online in a message. 

Nearly 200 Filipinos in Los Angeles, California have lost their homes amid the massive wildfires ravaging the area, according to Philippine Consul General in Los Angeles Adelio Angelito Cruz.

Cruz said the number of Filipinos affected could still continue to increase in the coming days.

He guaranteed that the affected Filipinos transferred to evacuation centers in the city were all safe.

Cruz said that Philippine officials in LA have to check if the burned houses of affected Filipinos were included in the housing insurance.

He also said that the death toll due to the wildfires has increased from 16 to 24, but he has not yet received any confirmation if any of the fatalities were Filipinos.

“Sa ngayon, hindi pa makapagbigay ng pahayag ang mga LA county coroner's office sapagkat natupok po ang mga bangkay at kakailanganin pa ng mga DNA tests. Aabutin daw ng mga ilang linggo bago makapag-release sila ng opisyal na listahan,” the consul general explained.

(Right now, the LA county coroner's office has not been able to make a statement yet because the bodies were burned and DNA tests will be needed. They said it will take a few weeks before they can release an official list of fatalities.) 

Filipinos and Filipino Americans affected by the widespread wildfires have appealed for help as their homes were destroyed.

Marcos earlier expressed his sympathies to Filipinos in California who were affected by the massive wildfires that destroyed thousands of their residences.

Filipinos requiring assistance may contact the Consulate at (323) 528-1528.

Reports said the California state was pre-positioning firefighting in vulnerable areas including those around the Palisades and Eaton fires, the two largest blazes that have ignited in Southern California.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was sued on Monday following claims that it failed to properly manage water supplies critical to fighting the deadly Palisades Fire that killed at least eight people and destroyed thousands of structures. —AOL, GMA Integrated News