The Philippine Embassy in India is ready to provide full assistance to the family of Filipino doctor Dr. Juan Carlos Cinense Manalo, who remains missing following devastating flash floods in Nepal.
Philippine Ambassador to India Josel Francisco Ignacio said the embassy is helping the family comply with a request from Nepalese authorities for DNA information that could aid efforts to identify missing persons.
During a briefing with Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro in New Delhi on Friday, September 11, Ignacio said the embassy remains in close contact with Manalo’s family.
“We are in touch with the family, including the call of the Nepal government for family members of the missing to provide DNA information,” Ignacio said.
“So we’re helping facilitate that. So we’re ready to lend all support to the family,” Ignacio added.
Ignacio said search and rescue operations in Nepal remain underway, including efforts to determine Manalo’s whereabouts.
He added that the Philippine Embassy and the country’s honorary consulate general in Nepal are coordinating directly with Nepalese authorities and responders to monitor developments in the search.
“In Nepal, we have an honorary consulate general under Consul General Vaidya and the embassy and the honorary consulate are exerting effort in direct contact with the Nepalese government and the responders to track the progress of the search effort,” Ignacio said.
India and Nepal are neighboring countries in South Asia and share a long, open land border.
Manalo, a volunteer with the Isha Foundation, a global nonprofit spiritual organization operated by volunteers, remains among those reported missing after the severe flooding in Nepal.
Ignacio also expressed his sympathies to Manalo’s family as search efforts continue.