PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed solidarity with Japan on Tuesday after it was hit by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and assured the public that the government is ensuring the safety of Filipinos there.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Japan on New Year’s Day. We are in close collaboration with the Japanese government to secure the welfare of our kababayans, who thankfully remain unharmed,” President Marcos said in a statement.
“We have made the offer to assist in any way that we can. In the face of shared climate challenges within the Pacific Ring of Fire, we stand united with Japan and stay ready to provide support from the Philippines,” he said.
According to the Philippine Embassy in Japan, no Filipino has been killed or hurt during the earthquake.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) OIC Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said his department is monitoring the situation of the Filipino workers in Japan, particularly in Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures.
He said there are a total of 1,194 Filipinos living in the two prefectures, 469 in Ishikawa and 725 in Toyama. He added around 90 percent of the Filipino workers there in the manufacturing, welding and carpentry sectors. A smaller percentage of around 10 percent are caregivers.
“We are monitoring the employment situation of OFWs, especially in the Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures. We will provide financial assistance to OFWs whose employment have been suspended or ceased due to the quake,” Cacdac said.
The 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s central Ishikawa prefecture on New Year’s Day, resulting in several casualties, injuries, and leaving thousands of households without electricity.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency immediately issued a tsunami warning along western coastal regions with authorities initially reporting the first waves hitting the coast just over 10 minutes later.
It was reported that tsunami waves of up to 1.2 meters hit a number of areas along Japan’s western coast.
All tsunami advisories were later removed by Japanese authorities.
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