Hope dims for 6 Pinoys in Haiti

MANILA,Philippines - For the seventh day yesterday, six Filipinos remained trapped underneath the rubble of two buildings in earthquake-devastated Haiti, military reports said.

Yesterday, 21 bodies were recovered from the ruins of the Christopher Hotel that served as the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Caribbean country.

The other day, Danish peacekeeper Jens Cristensen was pulled out alive from the leveled building, giving rescuers hope that there are more survivors underneath the rubble.

Cristensen was among the 100 UN peacekeeping staff working at the hotel when a magnitude 7 earthquake rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

In his report to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine contingent to Haiti commander Lt. Col. Lope Dagoy said Cristensen sustained bruises in the body and was already very weak when recovered by the rescue team.

Quoting Dagoy’s report, AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said search and rescue operations continue.

“Because of this rescue (Cristensen), we were given hope that Filipino peacekeepers trapped in the Christopher Hotel are still alive. As of now, rescue operations for all six Filipinos trapped in various building in Haiti continue,” Brawner said in Filipino.

Still trapped under the Christopher Hotel are Filipino peacekeepers Navy Data Processing-3 Perlie Panagui, Air Force Sgt. Janice Arocena, and Army Sgt. Eustaquio Bermudez.

Also trapped in the building is UN Filipino staff Jerome Yap.

Two Filipina workers, meanwhile, are believed buried under the collapsed Caribbean Supermarket.

Rescuers are still searching for Grace Fabian and Geraldine Lalican.

“We want to tell the families and friends of the trapped Filipinos in Haiti that the Philippine contingent is doing all it can to rescue them,” Brawner said.

Meanwhile, injured Filipino peacekeeper Staff Sergeant Bonifacio Paet is now recovering in the Philippine Contingent Clinic after he was transferred from the Argentine Hospital. 

65 more Filipinos confirmed alive

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that 65 more Filipinos living in Haiti have been confirmed alive.

DFA said Filipino community leader Godofredo Edquiban has verified that three of those listed below are currently in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, while three are on vacation in the Philippines. 

They are:                                                                                  

1.    Paglomutan, Alvin                      

2.    Protacio, Angelita                 

3.    Perea, Anita                    

4.    Edquiban, Annelli                   

5.    Sastrillo, Antonio                  

6.    Duran,  Antonio                  

7.    Edquiban, April Anne              

8.    Abenuman, Arcenito                 

9.    Paglomutan, Caimile                  

10.  Dublois, Candelaria              

11.  Protacio, Carmelito               

12.  Manalili,  Cecille                   

13.  Usana, Cheryl                    

14.  Sason, Cholly                    

15.  Lim, Consolacion           

16.  Bosi, Czar                       

17.  Diamante, Edgar                    

18.  Arbis, Edna                     

19.  Manalili, Elenita                   

20.  Guinchoma, Emelita                  

21.  Lim, Fernando               

22.  Esquibe, Florentina               

23.  Paglomutan, Fred                      

24.  Bolante, Gerry                     

25.  Lalican, Gherwell                 

26.  Villagracia, Gilberto                 

27.  Edquiban, Godofredo III         

28.  Edquiban, Godofredo Jr.        

29.  Villena, Grace                    

30.  Santos, Honey Cris             

31.  Unica, Jerome                  

32.  Macario, Joel                       

33.  Sason, Jose Leo               

34.  Dequito, Leslie                     

35.  Lalican, Lowell                    

36.  Piedad, Luisa                     

37.  Manalo, Marilou                  

38.  Garcia, Marites                  

39.  Caponpon, Michael                  

40.  Malbacias, Michael                  

41.  Santos, Mikaela                  

42.  Bautista, Morris Albert          

43.  Segubre, Nestor                   

44.  Decano, Nilo                       

45.  Agda, Orlando                 

46.  Sedano, Oscar                    

47.  Villagracia, Perlita                    

48.  Villena, Rafael                    

49.  Consul, Roldan                   

50.  Santos, Rosario                  

51.  Paglomutan, Rosemarie             

52.  Malbacias, Samantha Louis     

53.  Unica, Sharon Joy            

54.  Malbacias, Sheryl                    

55.  Vidallo, Teody                    

56.  Macario, Teresa                   

57.  Duran, Tony Rose             

58.  Elorde, Tristan                   

59.  Maning, Vener                     

60.  Duran, Vicente                  

61.  Lalican, Welldine                 

62.  Decembre, Leila                      

63.  Caluya, Teresita                  

64.  Baylon, Ingracia                  

65.  Lizardo, Roland Richard      

The Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent earlier confirmed that 100 Filipinos in the Delmas district are safe. 

RP, foreign relief teams arrive in Port-au-Prince

Citing the report of the Philippine Contingent in Haiti, the DFA reported that the relief team from the Philippine embassy in Cuba assembled by Ambassador Macarthur Corsino was scheduled to arrive in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince yesterday.

The relief team was instructed to provide immediate relief to distressed Filipinos and to formulate a repatriation plan for Filipinos who would want to go home.

The Manila-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said a significant amount of emergency aid has arrived in Port-au-Prince but volunteers are having difficulty reaching survivors because infrastructure damage is widespread and immense.

Quoting reports from their Haitian counterparts, Anastasia Isyuk of Manila-ICRC said very few communities were spared from the quake.

“Very few neighborhoods have been spared, while local infrastructure and services have been wiped out. The ICRC has built latrines for 1,000 people and supplied medical kits for 2,000 patients to two hospitals. Seven truckloads of ICRC medical supplies should arrive in the capital on Sunday evening,” she said.

Manila-IRC said makeshift camps have sprung up in every neighborhood in Port-au-Prince.

There is also limited access to toilets, water, food, and medical care. Functioning medical facilities in the city lack staff and supplies.

Food prices have also skyrocketed in the city following the disaster.

Earthquake plan

Following the destruction in Haiti, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda yesterday pushed for the creation of a comprehensive national earthquake plan.

“We should have a comprehensive earthquake plan… we lack social preparation, we only have symbolic rehearsals,” Salceda told reporters after attending a media forum at the Manila Hotel.

He said the program must include geohazard mapping, land use plan, social preparation, and structural inspection.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) earlier said it would complete the country’s geohazard mapping this year.

DENR Acting Secretary Eleazar Quinto said 1,618 municipalities nationwide had been mapped as of last month.

Salceda said he recently formed the “Task Force Eq” in Albay as part of the province’s disaster mitigation program.

He said the provincial government has required building owners in Albay to inspect their own buildings and determine structural problems.

Meanwhile, a group of scientists called the Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM) urged the government to intensify its public awareness campaign about natural disasters such as earthquakes.

Agham president Angelo Palmones said the group created an earthquake simulator in 2001 to educate the public about earthquakes.

“The simulator, which was developed with technical support from the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC-DOST), shows ground motion corresponding to earthquake intensity,” Palmones explained.

He said some local government officials have committed to reproduce the device for public education.

The Philippines lies on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions frequently occur.

The last major earthquake to hit the Philippines was on July 16, 1990, when a magnitude 7.7 quake hit Baguio City and Nueva Ecija, killing 1,000 people. - with Pia Lee-Brago, Helen Flores