The Philippine government will send a contingent to conduct search, rescue, relief and other assistance in Turkey, which was hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Monday.
In an interview with journalists after his attendance at the kickoff of the national tax campaign of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the Philippine contingent will leave for Turkey on February 8.
“We have organized a group of about 85 personnel together with some goods… Ang hinahanap sa atin ay mga blanket, mga winter clothing dahil siyempre ‘yung mga nasiraan ng bahay sa Turkey ay wala na silang matirahan. They’re exposed so they need all of these things,” said Marcos.
“So we are organizing it already and I already have the assurance also of the Turkish [Airlines] that they will be the ones to bring our people and our equipment and our goods to, I suppose, to Ankara first and then to be distributed properly in Turkey,” he added.
The government will also send engineers and health workers and provide other necessary assistance to the victims of the strong earthquake.
Also read: Mental health emergency urged due to increase in student suicides
Philippines to send rescue mission, humanitarian aid to Turkey
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) have mobilized the search and rescue contingent of the Philippines that will come from the OCD, Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force (PAF) and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and others.
MMDA and DOH personnel have experienced previous foreign deployments in Japan and Haiti, which were also rocked by strong earthquakes.
The Turkish Embassy in Manila had earlier asked for help, particularly from the emergency medical and urban search and rescue teams.
Marcos first offered prayers and aid to Turkey and Syria after hundreds of people died in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck both sides of the border on Monday.
According to reports, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake was the strongest in Turkey since 1999.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.