PH embassy in Turkey reaches out to 248 Filipinos in quake-hit areas

by ARIC JOHN SY CUA ManilaTimes.net

THE Philippine embassy in Ankara, Turkey said it had reached out to Filipinos in the earthquake-hit areas.

Philippine ambassador to Turkey Maria Elena P. Algabre, with a team, spent a day contacting 248 Filipinos that were hit by the quake, especially in Gaziantep, Hatay, Adana, Mersin and Sanlıurfa. The embassy also set up a command center to coordinate its actions with Filipino community leaders and

Turkish authorities.

"The embassy has been receiving confirmed and unconfirmed reports of Filipinos, experiencing varying levels of distress," the Philippine embassy wrote in a statement on its social media platforms on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 (Turkish time). "The embassy will act swiftly on all confirmed reports," it said.

According to the embassy, the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs of the Department of Foreign