From Den Haag to Sint Maarten to Curacao, The Hague PE’s ATN mission extended assistance to about 200 Filipino nationals in the Dutch Caribbean who were affected by Hurricane Irma. Beginning with operations in The Hague, the Philippine Embassy conferred with the Dutch government with regard to the situation in Sint Maarten. It had immediately set up a hotline and communications center to address inquiries from the concerned public who wanted to establish contact or relay messages for their next of kin.

With the invaluable help of the Dutch government and despite the absence of commercial flights, the Embassy deployed a team to Sint Maarten composed of Consul Zoilo Velasco and ATN Officer Elias Balawag on 14 September 2017. They helped repatriate 17 Filipino nationals in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC and other US based posts in the Caribbean-wide repatriation effort that gathered Filipinos from the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Sint Maarten to board a charter flight in San Juan, Puerto Rico for Manila.

Consul Velasco and Mr. Balawag also met with the Filipino community in Sint Maarten to assure them of the Philippine Government’s commitment to help overseas Filipinos and to provide moral support amidst the devastation brought by hurricane Irma.

In the following days, the mission provided relief assistance to 160 kababayans who decided to remain in Sint Maarten for their livelihood and employment. The work of the team moved on to Curacao to extend consular services for a pregnant Filipino who was airlifted a day after the hurricane hit Sint Maarten. She safely gave birth to a baby boy on 14 September 2017.

The Embassy continues to monitor the situation and is planning to conduct a follow-up mission in coordination with the Filipino community leaders in the Dutch Caribbean.

Consul Zoilo Velasco talks to the Filipino community in Sint Maarten to express the Philippine Government’s commitment to help repatriate those who want to go back to the Philippines and extend some relief assistance to those who choose to stay in the island.

Consul Velasco distributes grocery vouchers to Filipinos affected by hurricane Irma in Sint Maarten with the help of Filipino community leaders.