PH Embassy sends team to help search for Pinoys unaccounted for after Myanmar quake

A five-member Philippine consular team is on its way to Myanmar's quake-devastated city of Mandalay to help search for four Filipinos still unaccounted for, a senior diplomat said Monday.

The team, which includes the vice consul and the defense attaché, is making the trip by land.

Angelito Nayan, chargè d'affaires at the Philippine Embassy in Myanmar, said the team is en route to Mandalay for a 15-hour land trip.

"In Mandalay, four are still unaccounted for. Hope our Advance Team could find out (their situation) soon," Nayan told GMA News Online.

 “We will bring also supplies for the Filipinos there in Mandalay,” Nayan said, emphasizing the importance of conducting ground assessments and welfare checks for the Filipino community.

There are over 170 Filipino teachers in Mandalay, he added, and some of them have been unable to return home.

The embassy learned about the four unaccounted for individuals through communication with Filipino coordinators in Mandalay.

“We have area coordinators who are teachers based in Mandalay. We are in contact with three of them, and one of our local hires is also collaborating with contacts on the ground. However, we cannot confirm the identities or names of the four unaccounted individuals," Nayan said.

“We don’t call them missing, nor can we claim there are casualties, as no information has been provided yet. In fact, even the Myanmar Rescue Team has not released any names," he added.

Of the 171 registered Filipinos in Mandalay, “around 123 are marked as safe, while four are unaccounted for," Nayan said.

"We have 32 under ongoing verification, and 12 are currently not in Myanmar,” he added.

Nayan said teachers are scattered across various locations, with some staying in schools, others in the homes of students' parents, and some in private residences or farms.

Teacher Dan, a Filipino teacher interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB on Monday, said he personally knew three of the four Filipinos who were missing following last Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake that jolted Myanmar and neighboring Thailand.

Nayan also mentioned that the US Embassy successfully rescued one Filipino during their own ground assessment in Mandalay, although this individual is not among the four unaccounted for. 

“In the process of rescuing their nationals, they also rescued one Filipino. We have yet to confirm the identity,” he said.

The embassy official also shared with GMA Integrated News his own personal account of the earthquake.

Nayan said he was then having lunch with other diplomats in Yangon when he felt intense shaking.

“I thought it was strong, around seven on the Richter scale. The chandeliers and lights were swaying violently,” he said.

Nayan said he initially had difficulty communicating with his family and verifying the structural integrity of the embassy.

Regarding cases of Filipinos being victims of human trafficking in scam hubs in Myanmar, the Philippine Embassy reported no such cases in Mandalay. However, they continue to work on rescuing Filipinos who have fallen victim to human trafficking in other areas.

At least 1,700 people were reported killed in the quake that brought down buildings and damaged other infrastructure, including bridges, roads and the city's airport, hampering relief efforts.

Philippine officials said it plans to send a response team to Myanmar to provide humanitarian and medical assistance.

Nayan said the embassy is still discussing the repatriation scenario for Filipinos in Myanmar with the Philippine Office of Civil Defense. —KG, GMA Integrated News