89 rescue and relief personnel deployed to Myanmar return to PH

Members of the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent arrive back in the country after helping with rescue and relief mission in quake-hit Myanmar. Photo from Department of National Defense.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent, consisting of 89 personnel from various government agencies, has returned to the country on Palm Sunday, according to the Department of National Defense (DND).

The 89 personnel were on a two-week mission in Myanmar to assist in search and rescue operations in communities affected by the 7.7 earthquake last March 28.

In a statement released on Holy Monday, DND said the team was deployed in two batches on April 1 and 2.

The agency said its chief, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., led the welcome ceremony at Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Deployed personnel came from the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and medical professionals from the Department of Health’s Philippine Medical Assistance Team.