Metro Manila, Philippines – Close to 200 Filipinos have been victims of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, California, and counting, the Philippine consulate general said.
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Consulate General Adelio Angelito Cruz said consulate staff are monitoring the situation of Filipinos in different evacuation centers.
“Sa ngayon, there are a total of 191 Filipinos that reached out to the consulate and we are slowly but surely reaching out as well, visiting different evacuation centers, finding out if there are Filipinos indeed there, and offering whatever assistance the consulate can extend,” said Cruz.
[Translation: As of now, there are a total of 191 Filipinos who have reached out to the consulate, and we are slowly but surely reaching out as well, visiting different evacuation centers, finding out if there are indeed Filipinos there, and offering whatever assistance the consulate can provide]
He said LA authorities and some groups are giving relief goods to the victims.
“Wala silang problema sa pagkain, wala silang problema sa mga gamit, pantulog, wala silang problema sa mga gamot. Dumadagsa ang mga tulong mula sa iba’t ibang parte ng California,” he added.
[Translation: They don’t have any problems with food, they don’t have any problems with supplies, bedding, or medication. Help is coming in from different parts of California]
Most of the affected Filipinos are caregivers.
“Hinihingi nila ay sana matulungan sila makapag hanap ng iba’t ibang mga trabaho. Karamihan sa kanila kasi mga caregivers at mga live-in sila. So natupok ang mga bahay ng kanilang mga employers. Pati sila napilitang umalis at ngayon walang mga trabaho,” he added.
[Translation: What they’re asking for is help in finding other jobs. Most of them are caregivers and live-in workers. So the houses of their employers were razed. They were also forced to leave and now they are unemployed.]
Cruz appealed to other fire victims who are hesitant to seek over immigration issues.
“Sa ating mga kababayan. We keep telling our kababayans, ‘Wala po kami pakialam sa status ninyo. Basta’t kayo ay Pilipino, nandun kami para tumulong sa inyo,’” he said.
[Translation: To our countrymen, we keep telling our fellow Filipinos, “We don’t care about your status. As long as you are Filipino, we are here to help you.”]
The consulate said fire responders are racing against time to contain two blazes.
“We still have two big wildfires raging around LA County. We have what we call the Palisades Fire, and right now only 14% of the Palisades Fire has been contained. This is more than half the size of Quezon City. The other big raging fire is what we call the Eaton Fire, and only 33% has been contained. The Eaton Fire, for our viewers’ perspective, has consumed more than 5,700 hectares,” said Cruz.
“There have been about 12,000 properties destroyed. These are homes, apartment complexes, businesses, and other establishments,” he added.
