MANILA: Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno called the mission of the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC) a "heroic act" for all the support they provided to the citizens of the earthquake-battered Türkiye.
“The team’s mission is indeed a heroic act. We extend our deepest gratitude and we commend the entire team for the support they have provided to the victims of the earthquake in Turkiye," he said in a statement sent to reporters Thursday.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria last Feb. 6 left 50,288 deaths and 125,857 injured individuals.
"And once again, we extend our sympathies and we pray for those who lost their lives from this tragedy and for all the affected families facing this difficult time. We stand in solidarity," Nepomuceno added.
The 82-man PIAHC arrived in Manila on Tuesday night after two weeks of deployment in Türkiye to assist in the response operations of the earthquake-hit country.
The contingent is composed of the following members: 12 from the 505th Search and Rescue Group of the Philippine Air Force, 21 from the 525th Engineering Combat Battalion of the Philippine Army, nine from the Metro Manila Development Authority, eight from Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, 30 from the DOH, and two from the OCD.
The Philippine contingent’s medical team served 1,022 patients while its search and rescue team assisted in search and rescue operations in the collapsed buildings, assessing a total of 36 buildings from February 10 to 15 before it was placed on standby, awaiting requests for further assistance on retrieval operations.
The Philippine government also donated 11,205 blankets, 5,000 bonnets and 420 pairs of gloves to the earthquake victims.
Galvez hails PIAHC
Meanwhile, Department of National Defense officer in charge Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr. also expressed his gratitude to the 82 members of the PIAHC for their successful humanitarian mission to assist in the earthquake search and rescue operations in Türkiye.
“The President (Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.) conveys his heartfelt thanks to our contingent for completing the rescue and humanitarian mission in Turkiye. Though we are not a rich country, we were able to send an 82-men contingent to serve those people in need," he added.
The DND chief also hailed the team’s commitment and dedication to helping those affected, which he said will forever be remembered.
Armred Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Andres Centino, meanwhile, shared that he was happy that the team is back in good condition.
“This team is a manifestation of the Filipino value of always standing by its friends and allies,” he added
Source: Philippines News Agency
