MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is still verifying the number of Filipinos affected by the wildfire in Hawaii, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday.
“Sa tulong ng Department of Foreign Affairs at ng Department of Migrant Workers, inaalam natin ang bilang ng mga Pilipinong apektado ng mga wildfire sa Hawaii,” Marcos said in a Twitter post.
(With the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers, we are verifying the number of Filipinos affected by the wildfire in Hawaii.)
Marcos said that the Philippine Consul General in is ready to extend assistance to affected Filipinos.
“Kasalukuyang nakikipag-ugnayan din ang Philippine Consul General sa Hawaii sa mga lokal na awtoridad at Filipino community sa anumang bagong impormasyon patungkol sa insidente,” said Marcos.
(The Philippine Consul General in Hawaii is currently coordinating with the local authorities and the Filipino community for any new information about the incident.)
Marcos said that anyone who is affected may contact the consulate through its 24/7 emergency hotline at +1808 253-9446 or email honolulu.pcg@dfa.gov.ph.
During the Laging Handa Public Briefing on Tuesday, DFA Undersexretary Paul Cortes said that it is unlikely that any Philippine passport holders were directly affected by the wildfires.
Local authorities, however, are still verifying the ethnicities of those who died in the wildfire.
“Ang ginawa ng mga Red Cross offices po doon they asked those na may nawawalang mga kamag-anak to DNA, to submit their DNA kasi hindi rin pa na-identify iyong siyamnapu’t siyam na nakita nilang fatalities,” said Cortes.
(At the local Red Cross offices there, they asked those with missing relatives to submit their DNA because they could not identify the 99 fatalities recorded.)