The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is extending full assistance to the families of two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who perished in the powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Mandalay, Myanmar.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac personally visited the families over the weekend to express condolences and deliver the government’s support, following the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“Rest assured that, upon instructions of the President, we are taking care of the families by providing them all the assistance during their hour of utmost need,” Cacdac said in a statement.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the Philippine Embassy in Yangon, is coordinating the repatriation of the OFWs’ remains.
Cacdac also said the DMW will continue to assist the grieving families through post-arrival support, in addition to financial aid already extended.
The two casualties were among the four OFWs initially reported missing after the Sky Villa condominium, where some Filipinos reside, collapsed during the quake.
The DMW also assured affected OFWs in Mandalay that they would receive financial assistance through its Aksyon Fund.
While the quake also caused damage in neighboring Thailand, including the collapse of a high-rise construction site in Bangkok, no Filipinos were reported injured there.
According to local reports, Myanmar’s official death toll from the disaster rose to 3,645 as of Tuesday, with more than 5,000 injured and 148 still missing.
