Filipinos in Thailand seek food aid amid heavy rains, floods — PH embassy - GMA Network
After heavy rains flooded parts of Thailand, many Filipinos in the country are asking for food support as panic buying had set in some communities, the Philippine Embassy in Thailand said on Monday.
“Lalo na at the height of floodings, nagkaroon dito ng panic-buying, nagkaroon ng hoarding of food,” Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Millicent Cruz Paredes said on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.
“So may mangilan-ngilan dito na areas na nahihirapan daw silang bumili. So nagpapaabot kami ngayon ng tubig [at] pagkain,” she added.
(Especially at the height of the flooding, there was panic buying and hoarding of food here. So there are a few areas here where people said they are struggling to buy supplies. That is why we are currently providing water and food.)
The embassy previously advised Filipinos in Thailand to stay vigilant regarding weather updates after local authorities issued heavy rainfall warnings for Bangkok and 70 provinces.
Bangkok authorities have already declared a disaster due to waist-deep flooding in its communities.
The embassy said it continues to coordinate with Filipino community leaders in Thailand to identify individuals who need assistance.
“But overall, hindi naman ganoon kalala or kasama ang situation. Ang metropolitan authority, marami din silang tulong na pinapaabot,” Paredes added.
(Overall, however, the situation is not that severe. The metropolitan authority is also providing plenty of assistance.)
At present, the Thai government has opened over 200 temporary shelters for those affected by the flooding, according to the embassy.
Paredes said that after reaching out to authorities, they have not received any reports indicating that any Filipino is staying in one of the temporary shelters.
She noted that some of the affected Filipinos are currently staying at home, mostly in condominiums, especially after the government declared a two-day class and work suspension for September 28 to 29.
The embassy said its communication channels remain open to Filipinos who will be needing its assistance.
