President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday extended his sympathies to the peoples and governments of Turkey and Syria following the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit the two countries.
“Our thoughts and prayers go to the peoples and governments of Türkiye [Turkey] and Syria following the strong earthquake that has claimed many lives and caused massive destruction to their countries,” Marcos said in a tweet.
Likewise, the president said the Philippines is prepared to extend assistance to the affected countries in “whatever way”.
“The Philippines is ready to help in whatever way it can in responding to this disaster,” the tweet read.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said no Filipino was hurt in the strong quake that claimed more than 650 lives.
“The Embassy continues to reach out to the Filipino communities and its other contacts in the region and, as of this writing, has not received reports of Filipino casualties in the provinces of Gaziantep, Hatay, Adana, and Mersin,” the department said in a statement.
The Philippine Embassy in Ankara said it will continue to monitor the situation of the Filipinos affected by the earthquake and stands ready to provide assistance.
“The Philippine Embassy is ready to assist Filipinos affected by the earthquake and may be reached via telephone and WhatsApp (+905345772344) and via email at ankara.pe@dfa.gov.ph,” the DFA said.
There are more than 4,000 Fipinos in Turkey based on the latest official statistics, mostly concentrated in Istanbul in the northwest.