PHL Embassy buses with 58 Pinoys now in Tokyo

The two chartered buses of the Philippine Embassy have reached Tokyo late Thursday night after trekking to Fukushima some 280 kilometers to the north to fetch a total of 58 Filipinos. A report by GMA News’ Chino Gaston on “Saksi" said the two buses reached Tokyo past 11 p.m. Thursday night. A total of 15 Filipinos are staying at the Tokyo Lighthouse Church in Yokohama City, while the rest are sheltered at the Franciscan Church in Roppongi in Tokyo.
In a release, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said the buses left at 2 p.m. (Tokyo time) and fetched Filipinos at pickup points along the route. The first bus, led by the Embassy’s Defense and Armed Forces Attaché Colonel Inocencio Silbol and Consular Assistant and Attaché Emmanuel Austria proceeded to to Fukushima Nishi and Fukushima City and fetched at least 43 Filipinos there. The second bus, led by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Ryan Pondoc and Administrative Assistant Ricardo Arrangote picked up 15 Filipinos from Koriyama City and Koriyama Interchange. Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez said that the Embassy is also prepared to send more buses if necessary. “The priority right now are the Filipinos in Fukushima," he said. Earlier, 43 Filipinos were evacuated from Fukushima and Sendai, and arrived in Tokyo Wednesday night. (See: Pinoys evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture, Sendai City reach Tokyo) They were relocated by the Embassy consular team from Fukushima prefecture and Sendai city. A GMA News team, which included reporter Chino Gaston and cameraman Melchor Quintos, joined the Embassy team’s rescue mission and assisted in the evacuation. The Embassy team earlier went to Sendai City on Tuesday with a bus which brought relief goods to the area. They are now housed at a Catholic Church in Kichijogi. The evacuation came five days after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and a massive tsunami struck Japan, wiping out entire coastal towns and damaging nuclear power plants in the northeast, particularly the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station near the coast some 225 kms from Tokyo, where workers are trying to contain an unfolding nuclear disaster. The DFA meanwhile reiterated its call to Filipinos in Japan to heed all advisories and urged Filipinos within the 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to evacuate immediately, and those within the 20 to 30-kilometer radius of said facility to stay indoors, in line with the advisories issued by Japanese authorities. Those within or near the Fukushima Daiini nuclear power plant – a separate facility 11.5 km to the south of the Daiichi plant and which also incurred some damage – should also observe the 10-kilometer exclusion zone. The DFA further stated that Filipinos who are concerned about possible radiation exposure may wish to voluntarily relocate to areas further away, or to voluntarily leave Japan using their own means. “If, as determined by Japanese officials, relocation and repatriation become necessary, the Philippine Government will defray the cost to undertake the required measures to either relocate or repatriate Filipinos from the affected areas," the DFA said.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMA News