1000 Pinoys arrive from Japan; more willing to be repatriated

At least 1,000 Filipinos from quake- and tsunami-ravaged Japan arrived home Monday, even as more Filipinos in hard-hit areas have expressed their intention to go home. The 1,000 Filipinos who returned home arrived on eight flights from Narita, Fukoka, Nagoya and Kansai, according to a report on dzBB radio early Tuesday.
In an interview on dzRH, Philippine military charge d’affaires Col. Chito Silbol said “We’re offering options for them if they want to get out of here and bring them to Tokyo. Ang iba may asawang Hapon nagdadalawang-isip, but we’re here." “Ngayon ang gagawin namin maghihintay kami sinong gusto sumama pabalik Tokyo. Merong nagpahiwatig ng pagsama. Naghihintay kami sa kanila ngayon at iniimbita bumalik ng Tokyo (We are just waiting for the Filipinos who want to go to Tokyo. Some of them said they want to go to Tokyo. So we are just waiting for them to gather and we will take them to Tokyo)," he added. Silbol is part of a Philippine embassy team that went to Sendai City, one of the hardest hit areas. The team reached out to Filipinos there and offered them an option to leave for Tokyo. He said they had met with the local Filipino communities in the area, contacting many of them through social networking site Facebook. Also, he said they are proceeding to the shoreline area where some Filipino seamen were reported trapped, though it was not clear if Japanese authorities would allow them in the area. Limited food Silbol said food was very limited, even for members of the PHL Embassy team. He also said gas is now being rationed, with each getting a maximum of 10 liters. “Talagang kakapusin, talagang walang mabibili (Really, when we ran out of supplies, there is nothing to buy here)," he said. No forcible evacuation Silbol also said there is no forced evacuation, adding those who want to stay will not be forced to leave for Tokyo. “Our priority is to give them an option to leave if they want to. It’s up to them. We will not force them. They may stay in Tokyo until the situation here normalizes," he said. — LBG, GMA News