The inter-agency response team deployed by the Philippine government to Turkiye officially commenced Friday, Feb. 10, its search for survivors in the southern province of Adiyaman in the aftermath of the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that has since killed 21,000 individuals.
Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator, said the Philippine inter-agency contingent arrived in Istanbul at 11:59 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, where they were met by officials from the Turkish government and Philippine Embassy there.
At 3:35 a.m. Friday (PST), the contingent departed from Adana Airport bound for Adiyaman to begin their mission. Major Erwen Diploma, ground commander of the contingent, briefed the members of the team before their departure at the airport.
“Our team in Turkiye is well coordinated with the Turkish government and with our embassy officials. This strong coordination facilitated the smooth arrival and operations in the designated area in Turkiye, thereby ensuring the adherence to international standards,” Nepomuceno stressed.
The response team was deployed within the international standard of 48 hours, the OCD chief said.
The contingent is composed of 82 members after some responders of the original 85-man team were left behind due to lack of required travel documents.
It includes 12 members from the 505th Search and Rescue Group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), 21 from the 525th Engineering Combat Battalion of the Philippine Army (PA), nine from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), eight from Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), 30 from the Department of Health (DOH), and two from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
Nepomuceno said such concern does not affect the overall integrity and capability of the response team.
“The Philippine contingent remains dedicated and ready for their mission to help the People of Turkiye and all the victims of this tragic earthquake despite of all the challenges and the harsh and extreme weather they will experience in Turkiye,” Nepomuceno stated.
The powerful temblor which struck last Feb. 6 had already killed 17,674 people in Turkey while 3,377 more individuals perished in the nearby country of Syria, according to foreign media quoting Turkish officials. This brought the total number of fatalities to 21,051, reports said.