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PH Consulate: No Filipino casualties reported yet in LA wildfires, over 150 seek help
PH Consulate: No Filipino casualties reported yet in LA wildfires, over 150 seek help
While there are no Filipino casualties from the Los Angeles wildfires that have so far razed billions of dollars worth of infrastructure to the ground, the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles said that more than 150 Filipinos have sought help from the consulate.
HELIBUCKET OPERATION – Firefighters watch as water is dropped by a helicopter bucket on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles, California, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP)
However, Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz told Radyo 630 that the Philippine government can only extend full aid to Filipinos with dual citizenship, while those with American citizenship can only receive “limited” help.
“Sa ngayon, sa tulong ng ating mga kasama sa Pilipino Workers’ Center, mahigit 150 mga kababayan na ang humingi ng tulong. Sila ay kabilang sa mahigit sa 100,000 mga tao na na-displace o nalagay sa mandatory evacuation (For now, with the help of the Pilipino Workers’ Center, more than 150 of our countrymen have asked for help. They are included in the more than 100,000 people displaced or under mandatory evacuation order),” he said.
The official noted that most of the Filipinos are already immigrants and none have expressed any intent to be repatriated to the Philippines, although the consulate is ready to extend such assistance.
Quoting reports that 16 people have perished in the wildfires that engulfed Los Angeles County (Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire, Woodley Fire), Riverside County (Tyler Fire), and Ventura County (Olivas Fire), he stated that none have been identified as Filipinos.
“Karamihan sa kanila ay nasa evacuation centers. Tinutulungan namin na mga matutuluyan,
medyo long term (Many of them are in evacuation centers. We are helping them find temporary homes, it could be long term),” Cruz added.
He also shared that many Filipino-American organizations stand ready to help them find employment.
The Consul General explained that before the fires began on Jan. 7, there had been no rain in the mountains of LA County for the past three to four months. This made the tress and grass “very dry.”