MANILA, Philippines, April 4 ------ No Filipinos have been reported heavily affected, injured, or killed by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Taiwan, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) announced.
“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 said in a statement issued late Wednesday morning. Bello said that all migrants and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were accounted for and safe. “At the very least, a lot of our OFWs were very scared as the buildings they were in swayed, and the ground was shaking,” said Bello.
The quake, which occurred at 7:58 am, was the strongest to hit Taiwan in at least 25 years, killing at least four people and injuring dozens. It caused the loss of electricity for over 80,000 households in Taiwan. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a tsunami warning for northern Philippine provinces following the quake, particularly Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, and Isabela. However, it was lifted by 10:33 am.
According to data from Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor, there are 159,480 Filipinos in Taiwan, 150,666 of whom are OFWs, as of February 2024. On Wednesday afternoon, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a statement in solidarity with Taiwan, and said that the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) was ensuring the safety of all Filipinos on the island state. “We stand ready to assist and support our fellow Filipinos in Taiwan in any way possible during this difficult period,” said Marcos.
Trabaho pa rin
Maria Theresa Padin, a Filipino factory worker in Taoyuan, shared in a Facebook post her experience with her co-workers when the quake struck. Padin’s videos show the workers ducking and taking cover in their workplace, accompanied by distressed shouting. They evacuated to an open area outside. Padin told Rappler that they began working again an hour after the quake occurred. “Okay naman po kami lahat, walang nasaktan…. After one hour, nagproduction po ulit kami hanggang ngayon,” she said.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Wednesday opened a Help Desk for OFWs and their families who needed assistance following the quake. The Help Desk will also cater to Filipino families seeking information about the conditions of their loved ones in Taiwan.
Philippine contact numbers:
Hotlines: 8522-3663 / 8376-6352 / 8426-0833 / 8293-9155 / 8252-1972
Mobile: +63 919 067 3975
Taiwan contact numbers:
Taipei: +886 932-218-057
Kaoshiung: +886 988-976-596
Taichung: +886 966-537-732
OFWs and their families can also email repat@dmw.gov.ph for assistance.
Philippine telco Globe also offered free roaming services for Filipinos in Taiwan.
Source: rappler.com
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