Filipinos in Thailand stunned by rare earthquake

Many Filipinos in Thailand were taken aback by the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck near Mandalay, Myanmar, on 28 March, with several citing that this was the first time in many years they had felt seismic activity in the region.

Among them is Ember Villavicencio, a Filipina residing in Thailand, working as a teacher. In a televised interview on 29 March, she stated that this was the first time in her five years of stay in the country that she experienced an earthquake.

"Many of my Thai friends also said that this was the first time something like this happened in Central Bangkok. It is very rare because, they said, there are no fault lines here. Also, the buildings here are substandard because they are confident that there are no fault lines in this area,” she said.

Residing on the fourth floor of a condominium, she recalled feeling the tremors around 1:30 p.m. It took her five minutes to evacuate to an open area.

“At first, I thought I was just having high blood pressure, like I was shaking. I thought I was just dizzy,” Villavicencio added. Upon returning to her unit, she noted minor cracks, but her fellow Filipina neighbors on the 22nd floor and above reported more significant damage.

Similarly, Malice, another Filipino worker in Thailand, echoed Villavicencio’s statement. Despite staying in Sai Mai, an hour away from Bangkok, she felt the quake's intensity. According to her, she was with her Thai co-worker when the earthquake happened.

“There were only two of us in the room at that time. She panicked and kept saying, ‘First time, first time,'” she recalled. The Filipina also added that she just recently came to Thailand and it's her first time experiencing an earthquake.

“So, seeing a Thai national panic, and the fact that we were on the fourth floor and it was very strong, it lasted for a minute, I was shocked. I felt weak, and I was shaking a lot,” the Filipina said.

According to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Eduardo de Vega, there are around 29,000 Filipinos in Thailand and about 600 in Myanmar.

He also confirmed that there are no reported casualties among Filipinos in both countries.

““As of last night, I talked with our ambassador there [Thailand], since it is a Chargé d'Affaires in Myanmar and an ambassador in Thailand. So far, there are no reports of Filipinos who lost their lives or were affected,” De Vega said.

In a text message, De Vega assured that the DFA is monitoring the condition of Filipinos still awaiting repatriation from scam hubs in Myanmar, but highlighted that they are located far from the earthquake’s epicenter.

Should any Filipinos wish to return to the Philippines due to safety concerns, the DFA is prepared to assist them.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay in Myanmar on 28 March, sending tremors across neighboring country Thailand. This was the largest quake to hit Myanmar in more than a century. According to the United States Geological Survey, around 14 aftershocks have hit Myanmar since Friday.