DFA confirms Filipino's death after Myanmar quake; 3 remain missing

MANILA, April 10 ------ The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that one of the four missing Filipinos in Mandalay, Myanmar has been confirmed dead. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told TeleRadyo Serbisyo that the overseas Filipino worker's remains were retrieved Tuesday night and identified by experts from the National Bureau of Investigation through the victim's tattoo and passport. De Vega added that the victim's body was severely decomposed and repatriation could prove difficult.   

The remains could be cremated in Myanmar or laid to rest immediately in one of the Catholic cemeteries in Mandalay, according to De Vega. He said the bones could be retrieved years later. "Kinakausap namin 'yung pamilya at tingnan natin kung ano pang assistance ang maibibigay natin. We want to respect them in this time of crisis pero parang alam na rin nila kasi matagal na rin," he said. 

The DFA said it was still searching for the three other Filipinos unaccounted for following the powerful earthquake that hit Myanmar on March 28. "We continue to work and hope for the best for the remaining three Filipinos still unaccounted for," the DFA said. 

OFW PArty-List Rep. Marissa Magsino condoled with the family of the OFW and said it would coordinate with government agencies to make sure the families of the Filipino workers affected by the earthquake would get support. "Patuloy naming ipinapanalangin ang kaligtasan ng iba pa nating kababayan na nawawala pa rin hanggang ngayon. Kami ay nananawagan sa DFA at sa mga kinauukulang ahensya ng pamahalaan na pag-ibayuhin ang kanilang koordinasyon at aksyon upang masiguro ang mabilis at maayos na paghahanap sa ating mga kababayan," she also said. 

The tremor razed thousands of homes, schools and monasteries in Myanmar's central belt. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said on Tuesday evening that 148 people remained missing from the March 28 quake as fatalities hit 3,645, with 5,017 people injured. The earthquake has compounded the economic woes of the country gripped by a civil war since the military seized power in a 2021 coup. With the junta at the helm, Myanmar has become internationally isolated and sanctioned while its territory has split into areas controlled by the military, anti-coup guerillas and ethnic armed factions. Half the population of 51 million live in poverty while more than 3.5 million people are displaced. 

Source: news.abs-cbn.com