By Roy Mabasa
The Japanese government on Wednesday conveyed its sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of the two separate major earthquakes that rocked Luzon and parts of the Visayas.
Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koji Haneda
(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN)
"We would like to extend our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and express our sympathies to all those afflicted by the recent earthquakes in Luzon and Eastern Samar," Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koji Haneda said in a statement.
Haneda said that Japan, which is known as a country that frequented by earthquakes, was ready to provide assistance needed by the Philippines to the extent possible.
"We sincerely wish for the early recovery of the disaster-affected regions," he said.
In the aftermath of last Monday's tremor, at least 16 people have died and more than 80 others injured, according to the Office of Civil Defense.
Fourteen individuals remain missing mostly from the supermarket building that collapsed in Porac, Pampanga.