Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 10) — The Philippine team sent by the government has arrived in earthquake-hit Türkiye — formerly called Turkey — and is ready to assist rescue teams there despite challenges, including the extremely cold weather.
Dr. Ted Esguerra, a member of the 85-man Philippine contingent, told CNN Philippines’ The Source that they were warmly welcomed by Turkish authorities when they arrived there on Thursday.
Two Filipinos were confirmed among the dead in Türkiye, according to the Philippine Embassy in Ankara, the country’s capital city.
The embassy’s records show there are 248 Filipinos in affected regions.
Esguerra, an urban search and rescue field trauma doctor, said he and the rest of the team are currently on their way to Adıyaman, a city in southeastern Türkiye, to add to the rescue teams in the area.
\”Our job is to augment them and replace them when we reach the place. We were also told that we have to find a really secure camp, wherein we can be secured because there are stories already that people are getting things because they are hungry,\” he shared.
Esguerra said the extremely cold weather, which can go to as low as negative 6 degrees Celsius, may limit their operations.
\”Our work evolution is not somehow sustained unlike when we do it in our country because the environment is so cold,\” he explained. \”With that kind of temperature, we cannot really sustain a straight four hours clearing the debris or reaching the destroyed buildings.\”
Transportation is also a challenge for the Philippine team, Esguerra said. Compared with other countries that deployed their helicopters, the contingent from Manila had to fit in all personnel and equipment inside two buses provided by the Turkish government to reach their deployment area, he noted.
Despite these, Esguerra said the Turkish government has been very accommodating, giving them constant supply of meals including rice — as well as their own interpreter.
Finding more survivors
The Philippine contingent hopes to find more survivors who are trapped in the rubble. The team brought with them enough equipment, like a life locator, to detect signs of life under the collapsed buildings and to provide the medical needs of those who will be rescued, he said.
\”In urban search and rescue, we have a demarcation of three days. From zero to three days, there is a chance that people will live,\” Esguerra said.
He noted that beyond three days, a rise in casualty is expected as people not yet rescued from the collapsed structures may suffer hypothermia due to the cold weather.
Gov’t planning replacement, additional personnel
In a separate press conference, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said the government is planning the possible deployment of a replacement team or additional personnel to the quake-hit nation.
“Meron na pong mga planning to send either a replacement, kung after two weeks kailangan i-extend so we have to replace itong mga warm bodies natin… So it’s either a replacement or additional [personnel],” OCD Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said.
[Translation: There are plans to send either a replacement, if we still need to extend after two weeks so we have to replace our warm bodies… So it’s either a replacement or additional.]
Alejandro added that a number of agencies — including the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection — have expressed intention to help should the country send a second batch to Türkiye.
Some local government units, namely the cities of Davao and Pasig as well as the Bangsamoro region, have likewise offered to volunteer, the official added.
“We had an initial meeting on that already this morning,” Alejandro noted. “We are always ready and preparing another team that can be sent. But this is subject to the approval of the president and upon acceptance of the Turkish government.”
Latest reports say the powerful tremor has left over 21,000 people in dead in Türkiye and Syria.
