By Marita Moaje
MANILA – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is closely monitoring developments on the search and rescue efforts in Mandalay, Myanmar, especially for the four missing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), after the March 28th devastating earthquake.
In a news release on Monday evening, Migrants Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac called for prayers for the missing OFWs. Two of the four are a married couple, and all are said to be professionals.
“They are still unaccounted for. As far as we know, there are efforts in searching for them; that’s why we need prayers in order to find them, to confirm that they are safe,” Cacdac said.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar with epicenter in Mandalay, followed by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock in Thailand.
Cacdac said the DMW is actively coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Myanmar and Thailand to extend assistance to affected OFWs.
He said the DMW, with its Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Bangkok, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Philippine Embassy in Yangon are continuously assessing the needs of Filipinos.
Cacdac said there are approximately 2,000 Filipinos in Myanmar, but the actual number remains uncertain due to the presence of scam hubs and human trafficking cases that involve Filipinos.
He said that in Myawaddy, a town near the Thai border where Filipino human trafficking victims are being rescued, nine OFWs currently housed in a government shelter have been confirmed safe.
To date, about 232 trafficked individuals have been brought home, with 206 repatriated on March 25 and 25.
He said the government is working to verify how many more Filipinos remain in scam hub facilities.
Meanwhile, Bangkok Labor Attaché Don Albert Philippe Pangcog said Thailand is returning to normal, with no reported Filipino casualties. (PNA)
