Marcos assures govt exerting efforts to ensure safety of Filipinos in Taiwan

MANILA, Philippines: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday assured that the Philippine government was exerting all efforts to ensure the safety of Filipinos in Taiwan following the 7.5-magnitude earthquake that shook the country's east coast.

«Our hearts are with the people of Taiwan as they endure the aftermath of today's powerful earthquake. Rest assured, our Department of Migrant Workers is diligently ensuring the safety of the 159,480 Filipinos currently residing in Taiwan,» the chief executive said in a statement.

«We stand ready to assist and support our fellow Filipinos in Taiwan in any way possible during this difficult period,» he added.

The DMW reported that three Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs) in Taiwan immediately coordinated with Filipino communities in the island and relevant Taiwan government agencies as well as employers and trade associations «to ascertain the safety and status of Taiwan-based OFWs» and are «prepared to provide immediate assistance to affected OFWs as necessary.»

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) also raised a tsunami warning over four provinces in Northern Luzon — Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, and Isabela — at the heels of the tremblor that occurred at 7:58 a.m.

It later canceled the alert after «no significant sea level disturbances have been reported since 7:58 a.m. up until the cancellation» at 10:33 a.m.