President Duterte on Monday, August 16, extended his “sincere condolences” to the government and people of Haiti, where a 7.2-magnitude earthquake has so far killed 1,297 people, though none of them are Filipinos.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that most of the Filipinos working in the Caribbean nation are in Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. The earthquake struck the southwestern town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150 kilometers west of the capital city, on Saturday, August 14.
“On behalf of the Filipino nation, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte extends his sincere condolences to the government and to the people of Haiti for the tragedy and devastation caused by the strong earthquake that struck Haiti.”
Citing initial reports of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Roque said there were no Filipinos affected by the earthquake in Haiti since most of them are working and staying in the capital city.
According to the latest reports, the death toll from the earthquake has already reached 1,297. It also destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in the Caribbean country, which is still rebuilding from a major earthquake 11 years ago and the assassination of its president last month.
READ: Death toll in massive Haiti quake jumps to over 1,200
Neighboring countries such as the Dominican Republic and Mexico rushed to send help—mostly food and medicines—to Haiti via air and through land borders.
The United States also dispatched an urban search-and-rescue team to help the Haitian government with its rescue and aid efforts amid also the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.