Philippine authorities in Taiwan have implemented safety measures to ensure the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as typhoon “Carina” (international name: Gaemi) pounded the area as early as the night of July 24.
In a statement, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said it has not received any report of Filipino casualty until the weather disturbance exited Taiwan on Thursday, July 25.
“There were no reports of any incidents from our OFWs. Our MWOs (Migrant Workers Officers) are closely in touch with FilCom Reps and the TMAs (Taiwan Manpower Agencies) and have reminded them to report any incident relative to the typhoon,” the statement read.
It said MWOs were able to call TMA contacts and were informed that most of the companies are following the declaration of Taiwan govt on work cancellation.
“For some companies with strict quota requirements, it is up to the worker to report to work, with overtime pay. In times like this, they closely monitor the movements of the workers thru CCTV installed in the areas around the dorm. They limit the movement of the workers, especially those who go out from their dormitories,” the statement read.
Citing reports from Taiwan, MECO said the weather disturbance left three people dead and more than 220 injured. The casualties are from Hualien and Kaohsiung.
International and domestic flights were cancelled and schools and offices were closed ahead of the storm's expected landfall last night. Across Taiwan, 8,569 people were temporarily relocated by local authorities as part of typhoon precautions, according to MECO.