Road closure leaves Pinoys stranded in devastated Sendai City

The closure of a key highway is keeping Filipinos who want to leave a hard-hit area in quake- and tsunami-devastated Japan from getting to Tokyo for a flight to the Philippines. Philippine Consul General to Japan Sulpicio Confiado, who is in Sendai City, said Wednesday they can only monitor the situation and maximize the resources they now have. "Inoobserbahan namin ang situation. Sarado pa ang main highway going to Tokyo. May rationing sa gas, so we will try to maximize whatever resources we have," Confiado said in an interview on dzBB radio. Confiado is part of a Philippine team facilitating the departure of Filipinos who want to leave Sendai City, one of the areas hit hardest by the March 11 quake and tsunami. He said that depending on new developments, the team will make recommendations to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. "We will check the situation especially of the access road. Once there are new developments, we'll ask for guidance from the ambassador," he said. So far, he said his team has met with at least 30 Filipinos in evacuation centers in the area. He said many others were accounted for, and who are now in safe places. Many Filipinos are sharing what they have with fellow Filipinos in the area, he added. People wait in long queues to get their turn to buy limited supplies of food and water. "Mabuti naman kasi share sila whatever they have (It is good that the Filipinos here share whatever they have)," he said. — LBG, GMA News