The Philippine contingent boarding a C-130 aircraft at Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, Pasay City, for deployment to earthquake-hit Myanmar on April 1, 2025. — Philippine Air Force
MANILA: The Philippines has deployed its first batch of a search and rescue contingent to earthquake-hit Myanmar.
Myanmar’s military junta reported that Friday’s (March 28) massive 7.7-magnitude quake claimed over 2,000 lives, with 270 missing and 3,900 injured, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed that four Filipinos in Myanmar remain unaccounted for.
The initial Philippine contingent departed from the Villamor Air Base early Tuesday morning aboard a C-130 cargo transport aircraft, according to the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
A send-off ceremony was held before the crack of dawn, led by Health chief Teodoro Herbosa and Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno, along with other PAF officials.
The second batch of the rescue team will be flown to Myanmar on Wednesday, the PAF said.
“Two C-130 aircraft transported the initial 58 contingent members for their two-week deployment to Myanmar, with the remaining 33 members scheduled for transport by a single C-130 aircraft on April 2, 2025,” the PAF said in a statement.
They also brought essential search and rescue equipment and medical supplies. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
