Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 22) — The Philippine Ambassador to Myanmar on Thursday admitted his office is having a hard time convincing Myanmar’s government to allow the repatriation of the remains of two Filipinos who died of COVID-19 in the Southeast Asian country.
“As of now, ang gobyerno ng Myanmar, they do not allow repatriation of any bodies or ashes, kasi nga siguro natatakot sila na [they] can become a medium for transmission of the variant,” Ambassador Eduardo Kapunan, Jr. said in a Laging Handa briefing.
[Translation: The Myanmar government does not allow the repatriation of any bodies or ashes because of fear they can become a medium for transmission of the variant.]
“Sa dalawang Filipino na pumanaw sa Myanmar, medyo nahihirapan po kaming magnegotiate na mapayagang umuwi. But I have high hopes that pagdating po ng panahon…makakuha tayo ng permiso,” he added.
[Translation: We are finding it difficult to bring home the two Filipinos who died of COVID-19 in Myanmar. But I have high hopes that in due time…we will be able to get permission.]
There are ten active COVID-19 cases in Myanmar, with two deaths and three recoveries, Kapunan told CNN Philippines on Wednesday.
On July 17, the Department of Foreign Affairs raised the status of Myanmar to the highest Alert Level 4. Under this status, the DFA “strongly recommends that Filipinos leave Myanmar as soon as possible, as the healthcare system in the country is close to reaching its maximum capacity and may not be able to provide adequate medical attention to Filipinos who become ill in the coming weeks.”
Kapunan said there are 500 Filipinos still in Myanmar, and about a hundred have expressed their intent to go back to the Philippines. Others are hesitating to return home and leave their jobs, he noted.
