The earthquake tragedy in Haiti shocked the whole world because of the number of deaths which had been reported to be more than 100,000. Some even feared that the number of actual casualties would reach 500,000. Unfortunately, there are some Filipinos who are part of this tragedy.

There are 462 Filipinos in Haiti, 290 civilians and 172 military-police peacekeepers. Majority of the 290 civilians are working in telecommunications, and power generation industry. Some of their loved ones in the Philippines reports that they have lost communication with them after a strong earthquake hit the Carribean country.

To help their families back in the Philippines who are concerned about the safety of their loved ones, government agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Red Cross set up several hotline numbers for them.

The DFA on its official website said that the calls would be directed to the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA). The hotline number is: +632 834-4996.

An operation center was also set up by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Camp O'Donnell, Tarlac. The center will provide the latest news as well as answer questions regarding the Filipino contingent in Haiti. The hotline number is: +639198776728.

The DFA Secretary, Alberto Romulo also formed a task force within the Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent in Haiti to organized relief efforts for Filipinos there.

A statement in the DFA website said, “Romulo instructed Philippine Ambassador to Havana Macarthur Corsino to form a team that will proceed to Haiti as soon as possible. Ambassador Corsino is also directed to present a plan of action for the repatriation of Filipinos who would want to go back to Manila."

On the other hand, The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) would provide help by

means of contact tracing, repatriation, and psychosocial support. The PNRC also expressed willingness to provide temporary shelters for the victims. This is because many infrastructures in the country including residential properties had either collapsed or is already too dangerous to occupy.

According to its chairman, Gwendolyn Pang, “We will help them trace these people’s whereabouts. They can call us or go to our website and state there who they are looking for, and if we get information about the person we will get back at them."

These are the hotline numbers of PNRC’s Operation Center:143,  527-00-00, 524-57-87, 666-50-34, and 994-05-03