By Junex Doronio
Despite the devastating earthquake in Morocco that claimed the lives of 2,901 people, it’s noteworthy that none of the approximately 400 Filipinos working in the Mediterranean country expressed a desire to return to the Philippines.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Paul Cortez said that no Filipino has ever expressed intention to get repatriated from Morocco.
“The earthquake hit the central part of Morocco or south of Casablanca and Rabat where most Filipinos are. The estimate is around 350 to 400 affected Filipinos in that central part, the Marrakesh area,” Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said in an ANC interview.
Earlier, the Philippine Embassy in Morocco said that no Filipinos were reported hurt or killed following the strong earthquake.
However, Cacdac clarified that the DMW, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the labor attaché on the ground are still monitoring the situation of Filipinos in the North African country that was rocked by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake last week.
“We hope that no Filipinos will indeed be affected and no further Moroccan citizens will be affected,” the DMW acting chief said. (ai/mnm)
