MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Embassy in Yangon has remained in close coordination with relevant authorities in Myanmar to ascertain the status of Filipinos reported missing after the devastating 7.7 earthquake in the country.
“At this time, no positive identification has been made for any rescued persons or recovered cadavers in connection with the four Filipinos who are presumed in the rubble,” the embassy said in a statement.
This is after the embassy said that it has met the officials handling the search and rescue on site, as well as officials of the Mandalay General Hospital to determine the confirmation of identities of rescued or recovered foreigners from the Sky Villa building rubble.
The Sky Villa condominium complex located in Mandalay, Myanmar, originally consisted of a row of four 11-story buildings, but the other three structures collapsed due to the earthquake.
The embassy assured the public that it is exerting all efforts to confirm the status of Filipino nationals, amidst the ongoing search and retrieval operations.
Courtesy of DFA/Philippine Embassy in Yangon
In an earlier interview, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega told media that four Filipinos are still unaccounted for, after their families reached out to the department for assistance.
The four Filipinos were working as teachers in an international school in Mandalay, and that it could be possible they might be buried in the Sky Villa condo when it collapsed.
“Ang pinaka-apektado yung nasa Mandalay, kasi yun ang malapit sa epicenter. So, sa mga 151 Filipinos there, apat ang [hinahanap] pa sila, maaaring nandun sila, kasama sa isang gusali na bumagsak, yung isang condominium doon,” De Vega said.
“So silang apat. Sa awa ng Diyos, well, hindi pa nadadadadagan yung number na nawawala na Filipinos. So, we hope pa rin for the best,” he added.
De Vega encouraged families of Filipinos whom they lost contact in Myanmar, to call the Philippine Embassy in Yangon with phone number (+95) 998 521 0991. They may also send a direct message to Overseas Filipinos Help Facebook page or via the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration hotline: OWWA 1348.
Meanwhile, the first batch of a humanitarian response team from the Philippines arrived in the capital of Myanmar to assist in disaster response and aid residents affected by the earthquake that hit the country last Friday, 28 March 2025.
According to a news release by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), the initial 58 members of the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent landed at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport at around 1pm (Manila time), and will stay for two weeks in Myanmar.
The team is composed of members of the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, the OCD and the private sector.
As of Wednesday, 02 April 2025, the death toll from the quake has reached 2,886, Myanmar state media reported.
