A Catholic bishop on Tuesday urged the faithful to pray for the victims of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that rocked Myanmar and Thailand, which has killed over 2,000 individuals.
The powerful tremor hit on 28 March, with the epicenter near Myanmar's second-largest city of Mandalay. It damaged the city's airport, buckled roads, and collapsed hundreds of buildings.
"Let's include them in our prayers, let's not remain silent in these events, those who are affected and those who are suffering are also our fellow human beings," Taytay, Palawan Bishop Broderick Pabillo said in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas.
"That is also God's warning to us that what happened to them might also happen to us, so I hope our preparedness, our readiness is there, and let's always pray that we have the strength so that when this calamity comes, we will be saved," Pabillo added.
The prelate also called for prayers for the well-being of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Filipino migrants in the Southeast Asian nations.
"Many have died, many have lost their homes and will lose their jobs, let's pray for them. May they not lose hope, and let's also pray for our fellow Filipino OFWs who are with them," he added.
Four Filipinos remain missing in Myanmar, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The DFA said the search is ongoing for the OFWs, all of whom are teachers who lived in the Sky Villa condominium that collapsed in Mandalay.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health sent its Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance to Myanmar to help those affected by the quake.
The team of Filipino healthcare professionals includes doctors, nurses, medical technologists, pharmacists, midwives, and nursing attendants.
They will stay in Myanmar for 18 days, where they will offer acute care, life support, trauma management, pharmaceutical provisions, and isolation facilities, among others.