No info on Pinoys affected by Maui wildfires – DFA
Credit to Author: Pia Lee-Brago| Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has not received any report on Filipinos affected by the devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
“(The Philippine consulate general in Honolulu) could not determine yet how many Filipinos are affected because police authorities are not providing the names and ethnicity of casualties or those missing. We are still awaiting information,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo.
The DFA on Sunday could not immediately confirm that the wildfires have left hundreds of Filipinos missing.
Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce director Kit Zulueta Furukawa on Aug. 12 believed that hundreds of Filipinos are missing.
The Philippine consulate general in Honolulu is in touch with local authorities and closely monitoring wildfires in the counties of Hawaii and Maui.
There are an estimated 25,000 Filipino-Americans in Maui, comprising 17 percent of the island’s population.