Government to assist Pinoys affected by Taiwan quake – Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — The government will immediately assist Filipinos affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Taiwan, President Marcos said yesterday as he expressed sympathy for the people of Taiwan.

“Our hearts are with the people of Taiwan as they endure the aftermath of today’s powerful earthquake,” Marcos said in a statement posted on X.

Marcos said the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is ensuring the safety of the 159,480 Filipinos currently residing in Taiwan.

“We stand ready to assist and support our fellow Filipinos in Taiwan in any way possible during this difficult period,” the Chief Executive said.

Several buildings collapsed when the temblor hit south of Hualien, eastern coast of Taiwan on Wednesday morning.

The quake – reportedly the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years – damaged buildings in the city of Hualien and triggered tsunami alerts.

Tsunami

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised a tsunami warning over parts of Northern Luzon yesterday morning after the quake, which hit at 7:58 a.m. off Taiwan’s eastern coast.

It issued the tsunami warning for all coastal communities in the provinces of Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte and Isabela.

Phivolcs cancelled the warning at 10:33 a.m., noting that no significant sea level disturbances were recorded until the cancellation notice.

Intensity II was recorded in Itbayat in Batanes, while Intensity I was reported in Basco, Mahatao, Ivana, Uyugan and Sabtang.

Phivolcs said the distance of the quake was 376 kilometers from the Basco, Batanes Seismic Station or around 25 southeast of the Hualien County Hall, Taiwan.

No Filipinos in Taiwan were hurt or affected by the strong quake, according to DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac.

“Thus far, the report is that there are no injuries or fatalities in our OFWs. We are praying very hard it stays that way,” Cacdac said in a television interview.

Cacdac said the DMW is closely monitoring developments and coordinating with the Manila Economic Cultural Office (MECO), as well as Filipino communities in Taiwan.

Based on DMW data, Cacdac said, over a thousand Filipinos are staying in Hualien, which was severely