House Resolution (HR) No. 763, which expressed the lower chamber's utmost compassion and deepest sympathies over the tens and thousands of lives lost in the recent earthquake that struck Turkey and northwestern Syria, has been adopted by congressmen.
This took place during plenary session Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 14 at the House of Representatives.
Deputy Speaker and Davao City 3rd district Rep. Isidro Ungab, who presided over Tuesday's session, announced the adoption of the resolution following a simple voice vote.
“Along with the rest of the world, the House of Representatives commiserates with those affected by the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey and hopes for healing and restoration as they rise from the rubbles of this horrifying catastrophe,” the resolution read.
“In responding to the Turkey-Syria earthquake, the Philippines has organized a team of 87 rescue personnel, including military personnel, engineers and health workers, to be deployed to Turkey to help in the search and rescue operations and provide relief assistance to survivors such as medical supplies, blankets and winter clothing,” it added.
House Speaker and Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez, Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd Mannix Dalipe, Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan, Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos, and Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre introduced the resolution.
The number of fatalities from the 7.8 earthquake has breached the 37,000-mark. At least two Filipinos perished from the disaster.
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“President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has expressed utter regret over the two Filipino lives that were lost in the tragedy and acknowledged the tireless effort of the Philippine embassy in continuously verifying information and bringing affected Filipinos to safety,” lawmakers noted in the resolution.
A copy of the resolution will be given to the Consulate of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Embassy of Turkey in Manila.
On Monday Romualdez led the House in turning over $100,000 in financial assistance to the quake victims in Turkey. The money came from the Speaker’s Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Initiative.