Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 27) — Filipinos from Turkiye arrived in the Philippines on Monday, weeks after the deadly magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck parts of southern Turkiye and northern Syria.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the first batch of Filipino repatriates consisted of nine families or 25 individuals, including children.The government earlier vowed short- and long-term assistance to Filipinos affected by the quake that left tens of thousands dead.But for many survivors, the trauma lingers.Arlene Diyapoglu said it was a miracle for her and her child to survive the devastating Feb. 6 quake.“Lahat bumagsak sa paligid namin at thank God ligtas kaming nakaalis sa bahay… Wala na kaming babalikan. As you can see, nakita niyo yung balita, pinulbos ang lugar namin,” Diyapoglu said.[Translation: Everything fell around us, and thank God we were able to leave our house safely… We have nothing to return to. Our place was pulverized.]She admitted that even after returning to the Philippines, it may take time before she is able to recover from the tragedy that occurred in the country that she considers a second home.For Josephine Pascua, nothing could have made her happier than to see her daughter and grandchildren again, but she never expected it to happen because of a catastrophe.Josephine’s daughter, Christine, and her two grandchildren returned to the country along with the other Filipino repatriates.’ ’10’: ‘contentWidth’: ‘fit-content’ ’embedCode’: ‘
WATCH: 64 year-old Josephine Pascua on welcoming her daughter and two grandchildren from Türkiye: Masaya po kami na makapiling sila at dila ay ligtas sa trahedya @cnnphilippines pic.twitter.com/Z5eG4ihnuF
— Tristan Nodalo (@TristanNodalo) February 27, 2023
‘ Christine said a break is necessary due to the anxiety triggered by continuing aftershocks.“Continuous po yung aftershocks. Napapatakbo pa rin kami sa labas. So for the safety of my sons, I decided na umuwi muna sa Pilipinas,” she said.[Translation: The aftershocks are continuous. We would still run outside. So for the safety of my sons, I decided to go home to the Philippines.]The Philippine Embassy in Ankara reported that it is assisting 27 families in the embassy shelter.
