PH team in Turkey in high spirits as search for quake survivors continues —OCD --- By GISELLE OMBAY, GMA Integrated News

The efforts of the 82-man Philippine Search and Rescue Group sent to Turkey continue on the third day of their deployment, with several survivors of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake given assistance, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Sunday. advertisement OCD Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro said the Philippine contingent has so far helped check nine buildings, found five possible alive victims, and gave medical assistance to 14 outpatients. “They are in high spirits. Okay naman sila. Wala pong problema so far. Mayroon na silang assignment doon. Gumagawa na sila ng search, ‘yung ating team together with the local authorities doon. May na-assign na po doong area o site sa kanila,” he said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. (They are in high spirits. They are okay and have encountered no problem so far. They already have an assignment there. Our team together with the local authorities there are doing a search. An area or site has already been assigned to them.) Alejandro said the Philippine team is giving assistance to earthquake victims in Adiyaman, a city in southeastern Turkey. Their mission there was set for at least two weeks. The team includes personnel from the Department of Health, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, and OCD. They carried devices that could detect survivors of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6, under the rubble as they worked with other international teams. As of Friday, two Filipinos were confirmed dead due to the earthquake, according to the Philippine Embassy on Friday. Filipino Community in Turkey vice president Weng Timoteo said the body of one of the Filipino fatalities will be repatriated in the Philippines, while the other one will remain in Turkey for now. One Filipino is also in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to Timoteo. “Actually, buhay ‘yung nasa ospital ngayon, nasa ICU. Medyo 50/50 ang kalagayan niya. Pero she's getting better na po. Dalawa ang patay, at isa ang nasa ospital ngayon,” Timoteo said in a separate interview on Super Radyo dzBB. (Actually, the one in the hospital is alive, but is in the ICU. Her condition is 50/50. But she's getting better. Two are dead, and another one is in the hospital now.) She also said another Filipina who has three children remains missing. Information about her was already relayed to the Philippine consulate in Istanbul and Embassy of the Philippines in Ankara. Timoteo also raised concerns about reports of looting in several areas in Turkey. “We heard that 'yung mga goods o mga groceries we’re trying to cross sa mga kababayan natin, we’re trying to give out to them, parang nahaharang ng mga tulisan,” she said. (We heard that the goods or groceries we're trying to cross or give to our countrymen were being taken by robbers.) “They are actually taking advantage of the situation kaya hindi nakakarating ang tulong sa mga dapat makatanggap ng mga tulong na ito,” she added. (They are actually taking advantage of the situation, thus the assistance does not reach the intended recipients.) —KG, GMA Integrated News

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