The Philippine Embassy in Ankara, Turkiye on Tuesday, Feb. 14, visited a Filipino who was earlier rescued from the rubble of the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit the country, and provided financial assistance to help in her recovery.
In a statement, the embassy said that its team in Mersin checked on the condition of Juliva Benlingan, who was previously reported missing but was since found.
The embassy added that it provided “consolation for her traumatic experience.”
“As she recovers well at an Adana hospital, she thanks God for a second chance at life and the embassy for their well-wishes. The team provided her with financial assistance and gave her doctors and nurses tokens of our appreciation.”
Aside from Benlingan, the Mersin-based team continues to provide the remainder of its relief goods to distressed Filipinos in the affected provinces, including those at temporary church shelters.
“To supplement its efforts, the Consul General has connected Filipino communities from across Turkey and the surrounding regions with local Filipino community coordinators. The Embassy in Ankara is ready to mobilize and respond to emergencies affecting Filipinos in the region, as the need arises,” the embassy assured.
The team is also in regular contact with a set of volunteers from the hospitality industry.
They offered to provide food assistance to Filipino-Turkish families who chose to remain in Antakya, as well as to the Philippine humanitarian contingent in Adiyaman province.
“We deeply appreciate the charity of fellow kababayans and our Turkish brethren,” the statement read.
“In its continuous evaluation of the situation on the ground, the Embassy of the Philippines in Ankara is focusing the management of its resources towards the welfare, recovery, and return to normalcy of Filipino evacuces. Displaced Filipinos continue to arrive at the shelter in Ankara, both transported by the Embassy and on their own volition,” it added.
The embassy in Ankara now houses 64 Filipino families who have been evacuated from quake-hit areas, according to the Departmenf of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
READ: DFA: Number of evacuted Pinoy families in Ankara, Turkiye rises to 64
Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Elena Algabre visited the shelter where the distressed Filipinos are staying to condole with them and assess their needs, including the appropriate medical treatment.
Turkiye and Syria were rocked by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday, Feb. 6, leaving thousands of people stuck in the debris of collapsed buildings.
The two major tremors and hundreds of aftershocks destroyed thousands of buildings across 10 provinces in Turkiye, which led to questions on the country’s building codes and infrastructure.
The current death toll is now at 36,000.