Official: 12 Pinoys missing in deadly New Zealand quake

(Updated 9:23 p.m) Philippine officials in New Zealand are focusing their search and rescue efforts on at least 12 Filipinos who were reported missing in the aftermath of Tuesday's magnitude-6.3 quake in Christchurch area. Charge d'affaires Giovanni Palec on Wednesday said they are verifying the list of Filipinos reported missing by their relatives. “As of now may mga 12 pa ito, but we’re still trying to confirm kung talagang 12 ito. We’re trying to eliminate those na baka during the earthquake they were separated and had to stay in some of the evacuation centers," Palec said in an interview on dzBB radio. (As of now there are 12 reported missing. We are trying to verify this. It is still possible they were separated from colleagues during the quake and may be staying in evacuation centers.) He did not identify the 12, but said they were “mostly students." He added that they are not in a position to give identifications until they are sure the names are correct. “It’s really difficult to get confirmation or verification. The situation on the ground is very fluid," he said without elaborating.
A GMA News Flash Report on Wednesday identified one of the students as Louise Amantillo, who it said was trapped inside a building in Christchurch with seven of her classmates. The report quoted Amantillo’s relatives as saying she was able to contact her aunt in Wellington to ask for help. Moreover, her relatives reportedly said her location was already reported to the New Zealand police. Citing initial reports, Palec said the missing Filipinos were likely from a hard-hit commercial-business area in Christchurch, adding that many buildings there may have collapsed because they were weakened by a powerful quake there last year. As of Wednesday, he said aftershocks still hit the area – one every 15 minutes. Power and water services are still disrupted. “Kung may tubig they need to boil the water (If there is water, they need to boil it before drinking)," Palec said. Head count for Filipinos starts With telecommunications slowly improving, the Philippine Honorary Consulate and the Filipino community in Christchurch said Wednesday they have started doing a head count to see who among the Filipinos are safe and those who may need help. The embassy also sent a two-member team that will coordinate with Christchurch authorities in looking for at least 12 missing Filipinos, Palec said. "With the improvement of communication lines, the Embassy have been able to re-establish contact with Honorary Consul Zedric Peter Wait and the Filipino community leaders," he said in a news release posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website. “The community leaders in each area are mobilized to conduct a head count among them, to account for the number of people who are safe and sound, while identifying those who might be missing still," he added. Several Filipinos attending classes the CTV Building's King's Education Center, which collapsed during the earthquake, remain the embassy’s top concern. The team will reach Christchurch Thursday morning to meet and make arrangements with Filipino community leaders on helping Filipinos in their respective areas, Palec said. The team will also distribute food and water-purifying tablets to address the lack of potable water in the area. Meanwhile, Christchurch authorities continued telling people to stay at home. A 6:30 p.m. curfew has also been imposed. Earlier, the DFA's Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs set up a hotline for families of Christchurch-Filipinos. The numbers are 834-4448 and 834-4596. Also, the New Zealand government has a 24-hour helpline (0800 779 997). A Missing Person Enquiry Line has likewise been established for domestic (0800 733 276) and international enquiries (+6478502199). Philippine officials said there are some 2,000 Filipinos in the Christchurch area. Trapped in collapsed buildings On Tuesday, Philippine consul general to New Zealand Marcos Punsalang said there are no Filipino casualties reported so far. “Wala kaming natatanggap na balita kung may nasaktan o namatay na Pilipino. Sana tuluyan ganito po (We have not received any report of any Filipino casualty so far. We hope this is the case," Punsalang said in an interview on dzBB radio. On Wednesday, the death toll from Tuesday's quake reached 75 and many others are believed trapped inside collapsed buildings. New Zealand police have reportedly been receiving text messages from people trapped under buildings, and that authorities at the moment are focusing on rescue operations for the survivors. — with Candice Montenegro/Jerrie Abella/LBG/KBK/VS, GMA News