PHL aid team back from Myanmar

A TEAM of Filipino soldiers and government doctors deployed to assist earthquake victims in Myanmar returned to the Philippines on Sunday, the Philippine Air Force said on Monday.

The 89-member humanitarian aid team, comprising military personnel and representatives from various government agencies, arrived at Villamor Airbase on Sunday evening and was welcomed by top Philippine officials, such as Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr., military chief Romeo S. Brawner, Jr., and Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa.

A 7.7-magnitude quake struck Myanmar and parts of Thailand on March 28, crippling major infrastructure like airports, bridges and highways and killing more than 3,000 people. The recent quake is considered to be one of the biggest in the last century.

“This mission underscores the Philippines’ readiness to extend humanitarian assistance beyond its borders and strengthens regional cooperation through unified, inter-agency efforts,” the Air Force said in a statement.

The earthquake near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with over a million residents, has claimed 3,649 lives and injured 5,018 as of Friday last week, according to a spokesman of the Myanmar government.

The Philippine Foreign Affairs department last week said the remains of two of four Filipinos killed in the quake had been found and identified. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio