Image via WikipediaA March 20, 2011 press release prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs
The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that the consular mission which travelled early Sunday morning to fetch Filipinos who have expressed their desire to be relocated to Tokyo have reached Sendai City and Fukushima Nishi Interchange and is now on its way back to Tokyo.
The consular mission was headed by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Bryan Dexter Lao and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Ryan Pondoc. DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Administration Special Assistant Elmer Cato and DFA Office of the Secretary Principal Assistant Andre Peter Estanislao also accompanied the team.As earlier reported, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Christian de Jesus did not join the Embassy team. He was the team leader of the consular mission which headed to the Kuriyama City Hall and the Iwaki City Hall Sunday to fetch Filipinos there.
The Embassy team arrived in Sendai City, part of Miyagi prefecture, at 2 p.m. Sunday (Japan time).
The team brought with them relief goods - bananas, canned goods, bread, rice balls, mango juice, and chocolait – for the Filipino community there. The relief goods were brought to Sendai Catholic Church to be distributed to Filipinos in the area by the Filipino community leaders.
The bus, with a seating capacity for 50 people, also fetched 26 Filipinos – 21 adults and 5 minor children – and 2 Japanese nationals who have expressed their desire to be relocated to Tokyo in the light of the nuclear emergency resulting from the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country last week.
The bus departed Sendai City at 5 in the afternoon (Japan time).
The bus also fetched one Filipino national at the Fukushima Nishi Interchange.
Upon its return to Tokyo, the Filipinos will be brought to Wesley Center in Minami Aoyama, a relocation center arranged by the Embassy.
The bus is expected to arrive in Tokyo at 11 p.m. (Japan time) Sunday.
The Embassy’s four consular missions so far has relocated some 112 Filipino nationals.
These Filipinos are temporarily housed at a Catholic Church in Kichijogi, the Lighthouse Ministry in Yokohama City, the Franciscan Church in Roppongi in Tokyo and the Wesley Center at Minami Aoyama.
Earlier, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez stated that the Embassy will send more buses to the area if necessary.
The Philippine Embassy is there to ensure the safety and to serve the needs of Filipinos in Japan.
The hotline numbers at the DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs’ Crisis Management Center are 834-4646 and 834-4580. Requests for information may also be sent through e-mail address dfaoumwa.cmc@gmail.com
Filipinos may contact the following Embassy numbers in cases of emergency: (03)5562-1573, (03)5562-1574, (03)5562-1570, (03)5562-1590. The Embassy can also be reached by e-mail through: emergency@philembassy.net.
No comments:
Post a Comment