Pinay, kids missing in Turkey

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino and her children have been missing following the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey last Monday, the Philippine embassy in Ankara said yesterday.

“The embassy has sought the assistance of search and rescue teams in Hatay City on the status of a missing Filipino and their children, feared to be still under the rubble,” the embassy said in a statement.

“This has been confirmed by her husband and sister-in-law, both Turkish nationals,” it added.

Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Algabre thanked the Indonesian embassy in Ankara for assisting in the evacuation of three Filipinos in Hatay province.

“They are now traveling safely to the capital city,” the embassy said.

It also confirmed last Saturday the death of two Filipinos in the earthquake that struck Turkey, now called Türkiye, and Syria.

Members of the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent, through the direction of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, continues their work in Adryaman province.

The team has been conducting structure assessment on collapsed buildings to look for any signs of life and establishing a satellite field hospital to attend to patients and injured personnel.

Several Filipinos were able to escape danger on their own, through their Turkish friends and family.

The embassy team is present in Mersin to respond to the needs of Filipinos and their families.

In areas affected by the double-earthquake tragedy, rescuers have continued to pull more people alive from the rubble.

Humanitarians explained that the first 72 hours would always be crucial after the initial 7.8 magnitude temblor struck Gaziantep last Monday morning followed by another one with a magnitude of 7.5 several hours later.

The combined confirmed death toll in Syria and Türkiye is now more than 28,000 people while tens of thousands have been injured.

House donates $100,000 to quake victims

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, through the Speaker’s Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Initiative, will extend $100,000 financial assistance as humanitarian aid to thousands of earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.

In a statement, Speaker Martin Romualdez said he is sincerely grateful to Turkey for helping Leyte, and many parts of Eastern Samar, when super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) struck the provinces in November 2013.

“The assistance extended by Turkey, the United States and our allies and friends abroad helped ease the pain and suffering of our people,” he said, noting that Turkey was among the first country-responders in Yolanda’s aftermath.

Yolanda was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded.

Its death toll was placed at more than 6,000, with many more missing. Thousands of families were dislocated.

The funds will come from the Speaker’s Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Initiative launched during his 59th birthday celebration on Nov. 14 last year.

During the event, P70.92 million cash and pledges for disaster victims were generated, and Navotas fire victims were among the first beneficiaries, followed by flood victims in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Also in the same month, the House was able to raise P49.2 million in cash contributions and pledges and in-kind donations, such as blankets, food items and toiletries from lawmakers and private entities for the relief drive on severe Tropical Storm Paeng.

Contributions have so far amounted to P120 million, including assistance to Paeng victims.

Romualdez will turn over the $100,000 assistance to Turkey’s Ambassador Niyazi Evren Akyol and his wife Inddri Puspitarasi today at his office at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.

Other House officials are expected to attend the turnover ceremony. –  Delon Porcalla