Phl hopes Myanmar will address missing Pinoys in quake areas

The Philippines is still awaiting a response from the Myanmar government regarding a request for permission to send a contingent to search for missing Filipinos in areas affected by the recent earthquake, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) confirmed on Monday.

OCD spokesperson Chris Noel Bendijo expressed hope that Myanmar would grant the request, even if the operations shift from search and rescue to retrieval.

“Meron po kasi tayong pending request sa Myanmar. Hanggang sa ngayong araw na ito, hinihintay pa rin natin ang tugon ng Myanmar dito. Sana mapagbigyan pa rin tayo para makapag-participate pa rin tayo (We have a pending request with Myanmar. As of today, we are still waiting for Myanmar's response. We hope they will allow us to participate),” Bendijo said.  

On Sunday, Myanmar announced it had transitioned from search and rescue operations to retrieval efforts, citing the substantial damage to structures caused by the earthquake.

“Hinihintay po natin 'yung magiging kahulugan nito dahil (We are watching out for its effect because) they are asking for demobilization of the contingent teams from different countries,” said Bendijo. 

“To our understanding, our Philippine medical assistance teams will be staying until April 10. After that, we will prepare for our return to the Philippines,” he added. 

According to Bendijo, the Philippines earlier asked Myanmar to deploy the Filipino team to Mandalay where the missing Filipinos were residing, but the request was not granted.

Bendijo said the Philippine team still hopes for “miracles” regarding the missing Filipinos in Malanday remained unaccounted for following the earthquake. 

The Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PHIAC), led by LtCol Erwen Diploma of the Philippine Air Force, arrived in Myanmar in two batches. PHIAC includes Urban Search and Rescue Teams from the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Bureau of Fire Protection, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as a medical assistance team from the Department of Health.

Two C-130 aircraft transported the initial 58 contingent members on 1 April for their two-week deployment to Myanmar, with the remaining 33 members transported by a single C-130 aircraft on 2 April.