The Philippines is ready to deploy another batch of humanitarian contingent to earthquake-hit Myanmar, but it is still waiting for an official request from the latter's government.

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said this as he led the welcoming ceremony for the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC), which returned to the country on Sunday evening, April 13, after a two-week humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mission in Myanmar.

Teodoro, who also chairs the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said the deployment of a second humanitarian contingent would help in the government's efforts to find two unaccounted Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar last March 28.

So far, more than 3,600 people have reportedly been killed due to the quake, over 5,000 were injured, and a hundred others were still missing.

Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that four OFWs were unaccounted for in the said earthquake. Two of them were later confirmed dead while two others were still missing.

“We still have to make a full accounting. As far as I know, some have been identified but these have to undergo validation. We'll have to wait for the validation and once validated, we will inform the next of kin,” he said.

Meanwhile, Teodoro honored the 89-member PIAHC led by the contingent commander, Lt. Col. Erwen Diploma from the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

The returning team was composed of personnel from the PAF, Philippine Army (PA), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and Philippine Medical Assistance Team from the Department of Health (DOH).

They arrived aboard two C-130 transport aircraft at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, which touched down shortly before Monday midnight.

In his message, Teodoro conveyed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s heartfelt congratulations, commending the team's courage and commitment.

“I know you’ve just undergone several days of sleepless night, it’s a long journey. It’s a long journey to and from [Myanmar]. On behalf of the President and the Filipino people, we are thanking, first of all, the Lord, for keeping you safe throughout this journey. Second, I want to commend you for exemplifying the Filipino spirit that is always ready to help others who are in need,” the defense chief said.

Diploma said they tried their best to find earthquake survivors but to no avail. The search, rescue, and retrieval operation was made more difficult by the strong aftershocks felt by the responders days after the major temblor.

“We performed search operations using our technical equipment but we did not find any signs of life,” he said.

A briefing will be conducted by the DND to assess the situation in Myanmar and prepare for the possible deployment of the second humanitarian contingent.

Others who witnessed the arrival of the PIAHC were Health Sec. Ted Herbosa, OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel F. Nepomuceno, AFP Chief General Romeo S. Brawner Jr, PAF chief Lieutenant General Arthur M. Cordura, and representatives from various partner agencies.