About 150 Filipinos have found themselves displaced due to the devastating Los Angeles, according to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“We have about 150 displaced Filipinos. They had to undergo the mandatory evacuation. They are now being housed in evacuation centers,”, said DFA Assistant Secretary Adelio Angelito Cruz, said in an ABS-CBN interview. “We’re constantly monitoring them. We’re trying to help them find long-term housing since most of them have been displaced by the fires,”
According to the Manila Standard, Cruz said that none of the affected Filipinos have expressed interest in being repatriated back to the Philippines, and no Filipinos have been identified in the wildfire casualties.
According to Philstar Life, the Philippines’ Consul General in Los Angeles has stated that the Philippine government, with the help of some Filipino-American organizations, will help wildfire victims, and extend an initial financial aid of $200 to each affected Filipino.
“It is just for emergency assistance whether they need to purchase medical supplies, medicines, food but it is not going to stop there,” Cruz clarified. “The help and assistance that the Philippine government will be extending eventually will lead to them finding hopefully new jobs and new places to stay.”
Cruz also urged unaccounted Filipino Angelenos impacted by the wildfire to reach out to the consulate for possible assistance. He also clarified that the aid only applies to Filipino citizens or those with dual citizenship.
“If they have become US Citizens, they have sworn an oath to the American flag, they are no longer Filipinos and the help that our government can give them is limited because they are no longer Filipinos,” said Cruz. “Right now, California being a sanctuary state, they don’t actually care whether you’re documented or undocumented. If you need help, if you need medical assistance, they will provide and they will assist.”
At the same time, Cruz also recognized that “a number” of Filipinos impacted by the wildfires are blue-collar workers with little or no insurance, with some of them being “undocumented.”
The ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, which has been the “costliest” in the city’s history, have been fueled by strong winds and dry weather, and have lead to massive amounts of destruction and evacuations.
The wildfire over the Pacific Palisades neighborhood has desecrated 19,978 acres and incinerated over 1,000 structures worth $3 million. Other active wildfires include the Eaton Fire (13,690 acres), the Kenneth Fire (960 acres), the Hurst Fire (855 acres), and the Lidia Fires (398 acres).
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