RP govt, PNRC hotlines for info on Pinoys in Haiti

The government and the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) have established several hotlines for families of Haiti-based Filipinos who lost contact with their loved ones after a powerful tremor struck the Caribbean country on Wednesday. DFA, AFP hotlines A Department of Foreign Affairs statement posted on its website advised the families to contact its Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) at +632 834-4996. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has also set up an operation center in Camp O'Donnell in Tarlac province that will provide updates and answer queries in connection with the Filipino contingent in Haiti. The operation center can be reached at +639198776728. There are 462 Filipinos in Haiti: 290 civilians and 172 military-police peacekeepers. The civilians are mostly workers in garments, telecommunications, and power generation. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo also activated a task force within the Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent in Haiti to conduct relief efforts for Filipinos there. Romulo instructed Philippine Ambassador to Havana Macarthur Corsino to form a team that will proceed to Haiti as soon as possible, the DFA said on its website “Ambassador Corsino is also directed to present a plan of action for the repatriation of Filipinos who would want to go back to Manila," the DFA added. Red Cross hotlines Meanwhile, PNRC chairperson Gwendolyn Pang said the Red Cross aims to provide assistance in terms of contact tracing, repatriation, and psychosocial support. Red Cross can also provide temporary shelters for earthquake victims, since many residential structures in the country had either collapsed or become too hazardous for occupancy. “We will help them trace these people’s whereabouts," Pang said. “They can call us or go to our website and state there who they are looking for, and if we get information about the person we will get back at them." The PNRC’s Operation Center can be reached through the following numbers: * 143 * 527-00-00 * 524-57-87 * 666-50-34 * 994-05-03 As of posting, there is still no power in Haiti and communication lines there are largely dependent on satellite phones, according to AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. – Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV