Pinoy students in Sendai express ‘rage’ at embassy's disaster response

Filipino students in Sendai, Japan have expressed “deep rage" and “great disappointment" at the Philippine Embassy's allegedly inefficient evacuation of Filipinos from disaster-stricken Japan. In a note posted on the GMA News Facebook page on Wednesday, the group complained of receiving help from the Philippine Embassy in Japan only on Sunday, two days after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and a 10-meter tsunami devastated northeastern Japan. The students noted that when the first team from the Philippine Embassy arrived, other foreign nationals were already beginning to evacuate. “In any emergency situation, actions should be taken with [a] great sense of emergency. What we observed from our embassy’s action does not align with emergency response protocol," the Filipino students wrote. The group added, “Time is very critical as the nuclear power plants in Fukushima show a continuous sign of failure." The statement came from Filipino students Lea Necitas Apostol, Rolando Bantaculo, Rochelle Coronel, Eli Enobio, Genaro Peque, and Ben Porquis. ‘Inefficient, uncertain’ The students described the first day of the rescue as “nothing but an illustration of unpreparedness and lack of skills in decision-making." The group said they initially expected “a strong team of experts" including diplomats, medical personnel, and psychologists. “Instead, we were handed over to the media without proper briefing," said the students, observing that the rescue team came without a “concrete" contingency plan and data. The team instead asked the students for suggestions on how to proceed with the rescue efforts, said the group. They explained, “We feel the lack of sincerity and initiative from the ‘team’ as they rely [on] the decisions [of] the distressed victims. Coordination is inefficient, decisions uncertain." The group then demanded the government “to utilize all possible resources to evacuate and secure the safety of Filipino citizens immediately." “We demand that the government exhaust all means to surpass the incompetent actions of the ‘Philippine contingency’ here in Japan," the group added. Govt defraying relocation costs GMA News Online tried but could not reach the spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as of this posting. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the DFA said the Philippine government “will defray the cost to undertake the required measures to either relocate or repatriate Filipinos from the affected areas," if the Japanese government sees it as necessary. The DFA urged Filipinos within the 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to leave the area immediately. The DFA also called on Filipinos within the facility’s 20- to 30-kilometer radius to remain indoors. The agency also advised those within or near the Fukushima Daiini power plant to observe the 10-kilometer exclusion zone. “The Philipine embassy is there to ensure the safety and to serve the needs of Filipinos in Japan," the DFA added. The closure of roads, as well as other damage to infrastructure, has prevented Filipinos in Japan from flying out of the disaster-stricken country back to the Philippines. Explaining that the Philippine embassy can only monitor the situation, Philippine Consul General to Japan Sulpicio Confiado on Wednesday said, “We will try to maximize whatever resources we have." Countries like France have begun to move their nationals out of Japan. Reuters has reported that the French embassy in Tokyo has asked Air France “to mobilize planes for the evacuation of French nationals from Japan, and two were already on their way." - with Amanda Fernandez/VVP/HS, GMA News