By Junex Doronio
MANILA — So far, no one from among the 150,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, including the 66,475 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), was reported injured or dead following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Taipei on Wednesday (3 April 2024) morning.
In Hualien where a building reportedly collapsed, Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) deputy resident representative Alice Visperas said no one from the more than 5,000 Filipinos based there was among the casualties.
“Sa awa ng Diyos ay maayos naman ang ating mga kababayan. Wala pa tayong reported as of now na any injuries or casualties among Filipinos, as reported by our Filipino community leaders,” Visperas said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB.
“Based on our monitoring in Taipei and the reports from our field offices in Taichung and Kaohsiung, and the reports coming from our Filipino communities in Taiwan, there are no Filipino casualties or injuries in the aftermath of the earthquake and the aftershocks,” MECO chairman Silvestre “Bebot” Bello III also said in a statement.
For its part, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said in its Facebook post that it is monitoring the situation of OFWs in Taiwan following the earthquake.
“The Taiwan MWOs (Migrant Workers’ Offices) are prepared to provide immediate assistance to affected OFWs as necessary,” the DMW said.
(el Amigo/MNM)
