A group of disaster-tested medical volunteers is scheduled to leave for Haiti to help in the rescue and relief operations in that quake-ravaged nation.
In a media briefing today, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the medical mission will complement government efforts to secure the welfare of 290 Filipinos living and working in Haiti, including three members of the Philippine peace keeping force, who are trapped in one of the collapsed buildings.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo activated yesterday a task force within the Philippine peacekeeping contingent to help in the rescue and relief work.
"The Filipino nation joins the international community in expressing sympathy and support to the Republic of Haiti over the recent earthquake that has claimed the lives of yet undetermined number of people, injured many more, and caused widespread destruction of property," the President said in a statement read by Remonde.
"It is our fervent wish that Haiti recovers quickly and fully from this tragedy," the President said in her message.
In a separate letter to Haiti President Rene Garcia Preval, the President conveyed the country's condolences and assurance of support to Preval's government and people.
She said the Department of Foreign Affairs, Commission of Filipinos Overseas, Department of Labor and Employment, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration are closely monitoring the progress of the operation.