GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
Pinay mother, daughter confirmed killed in Japan tsunami
At least two Filipinos were confirmed killed in the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan last March 11, a Philippine diplomat in Japan said Tuesday. Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez described the fatalities as a mother and daughter who died in the tsunami triggered by the magnitude-9.0 quake. "Confirmed yan, mag-ina. Kahapon nadiskubre kahapon namatay dahil sa tsunami, sa Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture (We can confirm the mother and daughter were found dead in the wake of the tsunami, in Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. A separate report by GMA News' Jun Veneracion said the embassy released the names as Grace Agnes Oprecio-Hiruta, 45, and her daughter Maria, 12. On GMA News TV's News to Go Tuesday morning, Lopez said the identities of the two were confirmed by Grace's Japanese spouse. Oprecio hailed from Parañaque City. Lopez said the victims' relatives had been advised of the incident, and that the victims' kin in Tokyo are going to Iwaki City. The envoy said it is possible more Filipino casualties may be confirmed in the coming days. "Ang figures ng Japanese government, tumataas every day mga confirmed. Maaari pero I hope wala sanang madagdag sa dalawang ito (Japanese government figures are rising daily. I can only hope there will be no more Filipino casualties)," he said. He said at least 40 more Filipinos are still unaccounted for in the quake- and tsunami-hit areas. Meanwhile, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration head Carmelita Dimzon admitted the two fatalities may not be automatically entitled to OWWA benefits, especially if they are not registered as members. “Kung sila ay residente, maaring tutulong sa atin ang national government pero ang OWWA kung di sila member wala tayong programa sa ganoon (The national government may still extend assistance to them but if they are not OWWA members, we do not have programs for them)," she said. In the meantime, she said the Philippine embassy in Tokyo will continue to relocate Filipinos from the Fukushima area, which is threatened by radiation from a quake-crippled nuclear plant. Efforts to contain radiation Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had noted Japanese efforts to contain the radiation danger. On Monday, the IAEA Board of Governors held a special meeting to discuss IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano's report on his visit to Japan from March 17 to 19. Amano said the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remained very serious. He said the IAEA's radiation monitoring team, which has been measuring radiation levels in Japan since Saturday took readings as close as 16 km away from the nuclear facility and found high levels of radioactivity. Official Japanese measurements showed radioactivity in drinking water, food and milk at a number of locations in excess of accepted regulatory limits. "I fully understand the worries of millions of people, in Japan and neighboring countries in Asia but also further afield, about the possible dangers to human health, environmental contamination and risks to foodstuffs. The Agency is doing all it can to provide accurate and factual information. I have confidence that the Japanese government will address public concerns properly," he said. He added the IAEA is working at full stretch, together with other countries and international organizations, to help Japan bring the crisis to an end and ensure the effects are mitigated as much as possible. He added the IAEA's on-the-ground support to Japan became operational and consists of three main elements:
- * A senior Agency official has been deployed in Japan to coordinate our assistance activities. * The Japanese authorities agreed to the designation of two IAEA liaison officers, now in place, who are working closely with NISA 24 hours per day. * The Agency's radiation monitoring team has begun sending back measurements to Vienna, including from locations close to the Fukushima site. Additional staff will fly out from Vienna shortly to strengthen the team.
