Philippines is preparing for possible deployment of "humanitarian contingent" to quake-hit Morocco
The Philippines is eyeing possible deployment of a humanitarian contingent to assist in the response operation following the magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Morocco last week.
Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, Civil Defense Administrator and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the OCD as the executive arm of NDRRMC, is already making arrangements for the possible deployment of the Filipino contingent.
"We are deeply saddened by the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Morocco. We want to assure Morocco that the Philippines is more than willing to extend assistance to support the ongoing response operations. We are organizing a humanitarian contingent for possible deployment," he said.
According to Nepomuceno the Filipino contingent that will be deploy to Morocco "will comprise of personnel from the OCD, 525th Engineering Combat Battalion-Philippine Army, 505th Search and Rescue Group-Philippine Air Force, Bureau of Fire Protection-Special Rescue Unit, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Davao Rescue 911, and Department of Health."
He noted that "what happened to Morocco recently is a reminder to all of us to continuously prepare against the threat of earthquakes, especially the big ones".
"We sympathize with the affected communities in Morocco following the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit its country’s High Atlas Mountains. We are looking into the possible deployment of the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC) to Morocco," he said.
"On September 8, 2023, a Magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Morocco's High Atlas Mountains, leaving thousands of deaths and injured individuals according to a report. Search, rescue and retrieval operations are still ongoing in the affected areas, expecting the death toll to rise," said Nepomuceno.
Meanwhile, Nepomuceno also called the general public and other stakeholders to actively take part in earthquake resilience endeavors of the country.
“It is terrifying that in just seconds, an earthquake could claim many lives and leave massive destruction. Through the whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach, we should strengthen our prevention, mitigation, and preparedness measures against earthquakes.” he said.
It can be recalled that, in February this year, the Philippines sent an 82-man Philippine Inter-Agency Contingent (PIAHC) to assist in medical and search, rescue, and retrieval operations in Turkiye after it was hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that left 50,288 deaths and 125,857 others injured. Robina Asido/DMS
