35 Filipinos evacuated amid Japan earthquake

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano confirmed on Tuesday that about 35 Filipinos have evacuated from their homes due to a possible tsunami after the 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama.

According to Albano, the evacuated Filipinos were located in Ishikawa Prefecture, the region most severely impacted by the earthquake.

"Last night, it was reported to us that 35 Filipinos have evacuated to the city hall because of the tsunami warnings," Albano said in an interview.

Following the earthquake, Japanese authorities issued warnings of a possible tsunami with big waves of up to five meters along coastal areas.

The Philippine Consulate General in Nagoya posted advisories for the Filipino community and has been monitoring developments, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers or DFA-OUMWA

According to the DFA, there are 298,740 Filipinos in Japan, including 1,300 in Ishikawa prefecture. Most of the Filipinos in Ishikawa are working in offices, factories, and the agriculture sector, among others.

Meanwhile, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Arnell Ignacio announced in a Facebook video post that they have not received any incident reports affecting overseas Filipino workers in Japan.

"Regarding the recent earthquake in the Western Part of Japan in Ishikawa prefecture, we want to assure you that we are in full coordination. So far, we have not received any reports of any accidents involving our fellow countrymen. We have 1,287 Filipinos in that area, and you can rest assured that OWWA will prioritize the safety of our fellow Filipinos in Japan,"

"We assure you that we are closely monitoring their situation there," Ignacio said.

Ignacio added that their officers are also monitoring the conditions of the Filipinos in the affected areas.

"OWWA welfare officers are also monitoring. Ishikawa prefecture and coastal areas of Toyama, Fukui, and Hyogo were all given tsunami warnings. All precautionary steps for safety are all being taken,"

"We assure you that we are closely monitoring their situation there," Ignacio added.