MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos in quake-ravaged areas of Japan were advised to proceed to the nearest fire station or city hall to receive instructions and assistance, while those in coastal areas were urged to go to higher ground in the event of aftershocks that might trigger another tsunami.
The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo strongly advised the Filipino community in Japan to take the precautionary measures following an 8.9 magnitude quake and resulting tsunamis that devastated northeastern Japan on Friday.
In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs in the small hours of Saturday, the embassy also indicated it has request Filipino community organizations in Japan to provide information on possible Filipino casualties or to relay requests for assistance.
The embassy reiterated the urgent request of the Japanese government for people in coastal and low-lying areas to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution against the threat of tsunamis after the Japanese meteorological experts predicted more aftershocks.
The DFA said there were some 1,309 Filipinos in Miyagi prefecture, the location of the city of Sendai, which bore the brunt of the quake and tsunami. Altogether, there are 305,972 Filipinos in Japan.
Emergency landline numbers for members of the Filipino community in Japan are +81-3-5562-1570, +81-3-5562-1577, and +81-3-5562-1590. Embassy officials can also be e-mailed for inquiries at emergency@philembassy.net.
“As soon as telephone service resumes operations,” members of the Filipino community may also contact emergency numbers +81-3-5562-1573 and +81-3-5562-1574, the DFA said.
The embassy said landline and mobile phone networks remained down in their area, although internet services are available.
In Manila, the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) also set up hotline numbers and an e-mail address for those who would like to inquire about their Filipino relatives in Japan.
The hotline numbers are 834-4646 and 834-4580. Requests for information may also be sent through the e-mail address dfaoumwa.cmc@gmail.com. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Many Filipinos in Japan permanent, long-term residents — DFA
MANILA, Philippines – Many Filipinos living in or near the quake- and tsunami-ravaged areas of Japan have taken up roots in that country either as permanent or long-term residents or as spouses and children of Japanese nationals, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday.
Several are engineers while some are nurses studying to take the license exams there, DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said, describing the profile of the typical Filipino in that part of northeastern Japan devastated by an 8.9 magnitude quake and the resulting tsunami.
“It seems we have a lot of permanent and long-term residents there. In Tokyo, the central and northern Japan, we have 84,407 permanent migrants. In Osaka, we have 19,972,” he told the Inquirer. The count does not include naturalized Japanese.
Malaya added that based on the records, many of these permanent residents were the spouses or children of Japanese citizens.
The DFA also gave a breakdown of Filipinos living in the four prefectures most heavily hit by the quake and tsunami: 1,309 in Miyagi, 2,366 in Fukushima, 906 in Iwate, and 551 in Aomori.
Malaya said the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, with a staff of at least 30 Filipinos and 22 locally hired personnel, was trying hard to reach out to the Filipino community in the northeastern sections despite difficulties in communication.
“We have four consul generals, and through them and the community leaders we hope to be able to verify the conditions of our nationals in the devastated areas,” he said.
Malaya said the DFA hot lines (834-4646 and 834-4580) had received a lot of calls from Filipinos inquiring about their relatives in Japan.
Under the setup, the names and details are recorded by DFA personnel and relayed to the Philippine embassy in Tokyo, he said. “Then the embassy will try to trace these individuals and verify their conditions.”
“It is my understanding that some of the callers have received feedback already from the embassy,” he said. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Several are engineers while some are nurses studying to take the license exams there, DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said, describing the profile of the typical Filipino in that part of northeastern Japan devastated by an 8.9 magnitude quake and the resulting tsunami.
“It seems we have a lot of permanent and long-term residents there. In Tokyo, the central and northern Japan, we have 84,407 permanent migrants. In Osaka, we have 19,972,” he told the Inquirer. The count does not include naturalized Japanese.
Malaya added that based on the records, many of these permanent residents were the spouses or children of Japanese citizens.
The DFA also gave a breakdown of Filipinos living in the four prefectures most heavily hit by the quake and tsunami: 1,309 in Miyagi, 2,366 in Fukushima, 906 in Iwate, and 551 in Aomori.
Malaya said the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, with a staff of at least 30 Filipinos and 22 locally hired personnel, was trying hard to reach out to the Filipino community in the northeastern sections despite difficulties in communication.
“We have four consul generals, and through them and the community leaders we hope to be able to verify the conditions of our nationals in the devastated areas,” he said.
Malaya said the DFA hot lines (834-4646 and 834-4580) had received a lot of calls from Filipinos inquiring about their relatives in Japan.
Under the setup, the names and details are recorded by DFA personnel and relayed to the Philippine embassy in Tokyo, he said. “Then the embassy will try to trace these individuals and verify their conditions.”
“It is my understanding that some of the callers have received feedback already from the embassy,” he said. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Filipino nurses still in Libya earn locals’ love and respect
MANILA, Philippines — Hundreds of Filipino nurses and medical staff who have opted to stay behind in strife-torn Libya are winning the hearts of the locals and improving the reputation of the Philippines in Arab countries, Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said.
“That's why our nurses deserve our admiration and also, I guess it's the reason Libyan people love Filipinos there,” he said in a briefing upon his return from a two-week visit to Libya and Tunisia on Friday.
Conejos said many of the Filipino nurses, numbering 1,300 in Libya's largest hospital, the Tripoli Medical Center, and another 600 in the Benghazi Medical Center, had decided to stay behind out of professional commitment.
A few dozen nurses, however, have already left Libya, as the Inquirer reported earlier, with at least 70 nurses from two Tripoli hospitals returning to Manila out of fear of getting left behind as the hostilities escalated.
“They told us, 'Sir, we cannot go, we are medical personnel. We should be the last ones to leave hospitals. There are people dying here’," Conejos said.
He said Libyans were appreciative of the Filipino presence “because of what they showed, in the heat of the fight, they remained and served the interest of the people of Libya.”
“Wherever we go, in Libya, in Tunisia, people would wave at us, 'Philippine, Philippine.' Our reputation is good in that part of the world,” Conejos said with a chuckle.
Conejos said it was funny how, during his visit, he would so often meet fathers with their children. “I'd ask them, 'Where's the mother?' And they'd answer, 'Sir, my wife is a nurse, she decided to stay and asked us to go.' Why? 'Because she is a nurse...'”
But he conceded that the Filipino nurses were motivated also by monetary reasons, noting the excellent perks and privileges of working in the oil-rich North African country.
“They'd tell me also, sayang naman, the privileges of our nurses in Libya are so good. The highest paid there would be paid ranging from about a minimum of $800 to even as high as $2,000.”
In the last two weeks, Conejos said the government “increased their salaries not just twice but three-fold.”
The benefits are even bigger for those who have been there for 15 years. If they were to leave, “they told me, we stand to forfeit our gratuities and benefits,” he added.
Conejos said Filipinos must understand “this context” in addition to respecting and admiring the Filipino nurses' commitment to the medical profession.
Conejos said the Philippine government had extricated, on its own efforts, 6,000 of the 14,000 Filipinos now out of harm's way in Libya.
As of Friday, more than 8,000 Filipinos have returned home, mostly under arrangements by their multinational employers.
“I'm very pleased to report that after sustained and combined sea, air, and land operations we were able to successfully extricate from Libya, I think approximately, by direct government action, about 6,000 OFWs in only a span of 10 days,” he said.
He emphasized the scale and speed of the operation by comparing it to the 6,000 Filipinos repatriated from Lebanon in 2006, which the Philippine government accomplished in seven weeks.
Conejos said the Philippine operations in Libya had taken out all Filipinos who wanted to leave. “See, all I'm saying now is all the OFWs who want to leave Libya we have taken them out. Those in Libya now are those who decided on their own free will and volition to stay,” he said.
The official, who announced that “phase one” of the operation was complete, said he hoped the Libyan conflict would result in a political settlement.
“Because if not, then we are in for a protracted civil war. Right now, as I say, none of them is strong enough to overpower the other. But this will not hold on. This will have to give at a certain point,” he said.
“We should be prepared for that. That is what I refer to as phase two,” Conejos said. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
“That's why our nurses deserve our admiration and also, I guess it's the reason Libyan people love Filipinos there,” he said in a briefing upon his return from a two-week visit to Libya and Tunisia on Friday.
Conejos said many of the Filipino nurses, numbering 1,300 in Libya's largest hospital, the Tripoli Medical Center, and another 600 in the Benghazi Medical Center, had decided to stay behind out of professional commitment.
A few dozen nurses, however, have already left Libya, as the Inquirer reported earlier, with at least 70 nurses from two Tripoli hospitals returning to Manila out of fear of getting left behind as the hostilities escalated.
“They told us, 'Sir, we cannot go, we are medical personnel. We should be the last ones to leave hospitals. There are people dying here’," Conejos said.
He said Libyans were appreciative of the Filipino presence “because of what they showed, in the heat of the fight, they remained and served the interest of the people of Libya.”
“Wherever we go, in Libya, in Tunisia, people would wave at us, 'Philippine, Philippine.' Our reputation is good in that part of the world,” Conejos said with a chuckle.
Conejos said it was funny how, during his visit, he would so often meet fathers with their children. “I'd ask them, 'Where's the mother?' And they'd answer, 'Sir, my wife is a nurse, she decided to stay and asked us to go.' Why? 'Because she is a nurse...'”
But he conceded that the Filipino nurses were motivated also by monetary reasons, noting the excellent perks and privileges of working in the oil-rich North African country.
“They'd tell me also, sayang naman, the privileges of our nurses in Libya are so good. The highest paid there would be paid ranging from about a minimum of $800 to even as high as $2,000.”
In the last two weeks, Conejos said the government “increased their salaries not just twice but three-fold.”
The benefits are even bigger for those who have been there for 15 years. If they were to leave, “they told me, we stand to forfeit our gratuities and benefits,” he added.
Conejos said Filipinos must understand “this context” in addition to respecting and admiring the Filipino nurses' commitment to the medical profession.
Conejos said the Philippine government had extricated, on its own efforts, 6,000 of the 14,000 Filipinos now out of harm's way in Libya.
As of Friday, more than 8,000 Filipinos have returned home, mostly under arrangements by their multinational employers.
“I'm very pleased to report that after sustained and combined sea, air, and land operations we were able to successfully extricate from Libya, I think approximately, by direct government action, about 6,000 OFWs in only a span of 10 days,” he said.
He emphasized the scale and speed of the operation by comparing it to the 6,000 Filipinos repatriated from Lebanon in 2006, which the Philippine government accomplished in seven weeks.
Conejos said the Philippine operations in Libya had taken out all Filipinos who wanted to leave. “See, all I'm saying now is all the OFWs who want to leave Libya we have taken them out. Those in Libya now are those who decided on their own free will and volition to stay,” he said.
The official, who announced that “phase one” of the operation was complete, said he hoped the Libyan conflict would result in a political settlement.
“Because if not, then we are in for a protracted civil war. Right now, as I say, none of them is strong enough to overpower the other. But this will not hold on. This will have to give at a certain point,” he said.
“We should be prepared for that. That is what I refer to as phase two,” Conejos said. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Aurora residents back home after night of ‘picnic’ in gym
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines — Aurora Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said she lifted the tsunami warning in her province, which faces the Pacific Ocean, at 11:30 p.m. Friday following the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan, but residents who evacuated coastal areas returned to their homes at daybreak.
Some 2,000 residents of coastal villages that make up the Aurora capital town of Baler moved up to Ermita Hill, the highest spot in the municipality, the same area where their ancestors ran for safety during a killer tsunami in the 1800s, she said. They later spent the night at the provincial sports complex.
“I did not want them to leave yet. I urged them to stay on just to make sure they're safe. Anyway, they brought along provisions for the night. It seemed we had a picnic,” Castillo told the Inquirer by telephone.
She said residents started returning home by 5 a.m. Saturday.
Reports from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 917 families were evacuated in Baler, Dingalan, Dipaculao, Dinalungan and San Luis towns on Friday afternoon when the tsunami Alert Level 2 was raised. (report from Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon Desk)
Some 2,000 residents of coastal villages that make up the Aurora capital town of Baler moved up to Ermita Hill, the highest spot in the municipality, the same area where their ancestors ran for safety during a killer tsunami in the 1800s, she said. They later spent the night at the provincial sports complex.
“I did not want them to leave yet. I urged them to stay on just to make sure they're safe. Anyway, they brought along provisions for the night. It seemed we had a picnic,” Castillo told the Inquirer by telephone.
She said residents started returning home by 5 a.m. Saturday.
Reports from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 917 families were evacuated in Baler, Dingalan, Dipaculao, Dinalungan and San Luis towns on Friday afternoon when the tsunami Alert Level 2 was raised. (report from Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon Desk)
Police kill 2 snatchers in Manila
MANILA, Philippines – Two suspects involved in a snatching incident were shot and killed on Saturday morning in España, Manila.
The names of the suspects have yet to be determined.
Police said the victim, Maureen Ramos, had just come from a birthday party and was waiting for a taxi along Quintos Street in España around 2 a.m.
Suddenly, the suspects who were riding in tandem on board a motorcycle appeared and snatched Ramos’ bag.
Luckily, the incident was witnessed by policemen patrolling the area and immediately went after the suspects.
The duo was cornered at Alfonso Mendoza and P. Campa streets. Police fired shots only after the suspects shot them using a paltik (homemade gun). (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
The names of the suspects have yet to be determined.
Police said the victim, Maureen Ramos, had just come from a birthday party and was waiting for a taxi along Quintos Street in España around 2 a.m.
Suddenly, the suspects who were riding in tandem on board a motorcycle appeared and snatched Ramos’ bag.
Luckily, the incident was witnessed by policemen patrolling the area and immediately went after the suspects.
The duo was cornered at Alfonso Mendoza and P. Campa streets. Police fired shots only after the suspects shot them using a paltik (homemade gun). (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
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