The inter-agency response team headed to Turkey to assist in conducting search and rescue operations brought with them relief aid to alleviate the suffering of the victims of the magnitude 7.8. earthquake.
The 85-man team was scheduled to depart Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8. They will fly via a Turkish Airlines commercial flight which was sponsored by the Turkish government, according to Office of Civil Defense (OCD) joint information center chief Diego Agustin Mariano.
The response team is composed of two personnel from the OCD who will arrange the administrative and liaison activities of the group upon arrival in Turkey; 31 emergency medical teams (EMTs) from the Department of Health (DOH); 21 soldiers from the Philippine Army (PA) 525th Engineer Combat Battalion of 51st Engineer Brigade and 12 Philippine Air Force (PAF) servicemen from the 505th Search and Rescue Group who are experts in urban search and rescue (USAR); 10 personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA); and nine responders from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (SBMA-DRRM).
“Itong teams may dalang kanya-kanyang gamit na karamihan ay pang-extract ng victims sa ilalim ng collapsed structures, pamputol ng bakal, at pang-angat ng debris (These teams brought their respective equipment including extraction tools for the victims under collapsed structures, metal cutters, and debris lifters),” Mariano said in a Laging Handa public briefing.
“Aside sa teams na ipapadala, mayroon din donated goods na isasabay sa kanila gaya ng (Aside from the teams that we deploy, there are also donated goods that will be brought like) blankets, winter clothing, sleeping kits, hygiene kits and sanitary kits,” he added.
MMDA personnel also brought water filtration machines to ensure adequate supply of drinking water while medical personnel from the DOH have first aid tools and equipment to treat trauma injuries.
Upon arrival in Istanbul, Mariano said that officials from Turkish government officials and Philippine Embassy in Turkey will welcome the contingent. An assessment will then be made to determine where the response team will be particularly deployed.
The special mission is expected to last for at least two weeks.
“Ang pagtulong sa ibang bansa o pagsasagawa ng humanitarian mission sa ibang bansa na nasalanta ay matagal nang ginagawa ng ating bansa. Last time na naalaala ko may nagkaroon ng tsunami at earthquake sa Indonesia, tayo ay nagpadala ng tulong (We have long been helping other countries and conducting humanitarian mission in calamity-hit nations. The last time I remembered it happened was when a tsunami and earthquake occurred in Indonesia where we sent them help),” Mariano said, referring to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia in 2018.
Meanwhile, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines’ response to the call for assistance by the Turkish Embassy in Manila was made in solidarity with their government who helped in attaining peace in Mindanao.
Turkey serves as the chair of the Independent Decommissioning Board (IDB) which monitors the decommissioning process of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants since its establishment in 2014. Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation is also part of the third-party monitoring team on the Bangsamoro peace process.
“This is our contribution to humanity, and the President ordered us for the response teams to prepare for deployment for the people of Turkey,” Galvez said.