Philippine teams deploy to Myanmar for earthquake relief

A send-off ceremony took place Tuesday morning at Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City for the first batch of the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC) heading to Myanmar following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake on March 28.

The second batch, comprising 47 personnel from various agencies including the PAF, Bureau of Fire Protection, Department of Health, and Office of Civil Defense, departed Wednesday morning aboard a C-130 aircraft for Naypyidaw to assist in recovery efforts.

Both batches are equipped with essential search and rescue tools and medical supplies and will remain in Myanmar for two weeks to perform life-saving operations and provide critical aid.

The deployment underscores the Philippine government's commitment to disaster response, highlighting the country’s active role in regional humanitarian efforts.

As of Wednesday, Reuters reported that the death toll due to the earthquake was at least 2,700 with over 4,000 injured and hundreds missing.