The search for four Filipinos who went missing following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar has yielded a grim development, with the confirmed discovery of two bodies, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement.
However, there is still no news regarding the whereabouts of the remaining two individuals, who hail from Negros Oriental who were also declared missing when the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28 and has tragically claimed the lives of over 3,500 people.
Among those reported missing were four Filipinos, including Alexis Gale Adalidad, a teacher from Negros Oriental, and her husband, Edsil Jess Adalid.
In a statement released on April 10, the DFA has confirmed through the Philippine Embassy in Yangon the positive identification of the remains of a second Filipino victim.
It sad: “The family of the deceased Filipino has been informed. They have requested media to respect their privacy in this very difficult time.” In adherence to this request, the DFA has refrained from releasing further details about the deceased.
The news of the recovered bodies comes amidst growing frustration and anguish from the families of the missing. Veronica May Concepcion, sister of Alexis Gale Adalidad, expressed her deep concern and disappointment in a Facebook post dated April 3rd regarding the perceived slow response of relevant agencies.
“I want to express my dismay in how slow our respected agencies are to take action in this emergency situation,” Concepcion wrote.
She added: “It is a week now, and still no progress about the search for the four Filipino’s. It is very sad because first, they got deployed last April 1 (that is 5 days already after the earthquake happen), up until now there are still no Philippine or mga Pinoy rescuers sa Area where the four Filipino’s are. They said in every meeting that they have been through many emergency situations, but then why like this? I want to find my sister Alexis Gale Adalid and my brother-in-law Edsil Jess Adalid. Taking this long makes me lose hope, not just about finding them alive but also finding their bodies if worst case scenario happen.”
Edsil Jess and his wife Alexis Gale were among the four Filipinos confirmed missing in the aftermath of the earthquake.
The DFA has stated, “We continue to hope for the best for the remaining two Filipinos still unaccounted for in Mandalay, Myanmar.” Efforts to locate the missing individuals are presumably ongoing, although details of these efforts have not been publicly disclosed.
