Filipino killed in Hawaii wildfire, says DFA

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A handout photo made available by the Hawaii Department of Department of Land and Natural Resources shows an aerial view of the wildfire aftermath in Kula on Maui, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2023. EPA-EFE/Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Handout" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/tvpatrol/08/13/hawaii.jpg"/><figcaption>A handout photo made available by the Hawaii Department of Department of Land and Natural Resources shows an aerial view of the wildfire aftermath in Kula on Maui, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2023. EPA-EFE/Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Handout</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — A Filipino was killed in the wildfire that ripped through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday. The DFA said the Filipino was a naturalized US citizen, who hailed from Ilocos. Consul General Emil Fernandez said the man was identified as Alfredo Galinato, 79 years old.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/15/23/most-pinoys-in-hawaii-unlikely-to-ask-for-repatriation-dfa">Pinoys in Hawaii &#x27;unlikely&#x27; to request repatriation amid wildfires tragedy: DFA</a></li></ul>&quot;The Philippine Consulate in Honolulu is assisting the family who are all based in Hawaii,&quot; the agency said. In an interview over Radyo 630, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the Filipino fatality arrived in Hawaii as an immigrant and had no known family in the Philippines. Authorities have not received any request for repatriation of his remains. &quot;Nakausap pa rin ang kanyang anak at asawa niya. Yung asawa niya ay Filipino citizen pa rin so tinutulungan namin kung ano ang mapo-provide na financial assistance kasi nawala ang bahay,&quot; De Vega said. (His spouse is still a Filipino citizen so we we are helping them with financial assistance because the blaze left them homeless.)The Philippine Consulate team is currently in Wailuku, near Lahaina, because they have not been permitted to enter the area. Philippine authorities are providing consular assistance to Filipinos who lost their passports and important documents, De Vega said. So far, 56 Filipinos are currently sheltered in Wailuku, he said. &quot;Nabuksan na ang highway pero hindi lahat puwedeng bumalik sa mga bahay nila. Wala pa, yung mga responders lang ang nakakapasok para sa operations,&quot; he said. (The highway is now open, but not everyone can return to their homes. Only responders are allowed to enter the area for operations.)The Philippine Consulate team will return to Honolulu over the weekend and go to Lahaina as early as next month to provide &quot;wider consular services,&quot; he said. Financial assistance is available to all Filipino citizens and authorities will not be strict in asking for documentary requirements, De Vega added. &quot;Kung hindi nila mabayaran ang ating mga passports kasi wala na talagang pera, bibigyan pa sila ng assistance para mabayaran ang passports,&quot; the official said. (If they cannot pay for their passports, we will give them assistance.)Fernandez said his office has positioned shelters, hotels, and Airbnb rentals for Filipinos who lost their homes due to the wildfires. Lodging is free, he added. <div>DFA ASKS MARCOS JR TO SEND DONATIONS TO HAWAII </div>De Vega said they wrote to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.&#x27;s office to recommend monetary donations to Hawaii. Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil told ABS-CBN News in a message that the Office of the Executive Secretary has yet to receive the DFA&#x27;s recommendation. At least 111 people are known to have died in what was the deadliest wildfire in the United States in over a century. The final toll is expected to be considerably higher.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/16/23/hawaii-wildfire-death-toll-surpasses-100-governor">Hawaii wildfire death toll surpasses 100: governor</a></li></ul>Consul General Fernandez said the identification of fatalities was &quot;slow and painstaking.&quot; &quot;The remains we&#x27;re finding are from a fire that melted metal, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier earlier said. &quot;When we pick up the remains... they fall apart.&quot;Around 388,000 individuals in Hawaii identified themselves as Filipino or part-Filipino in 2020, the DFA said. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2762944" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Criticism has swelled since the disaster, with survivors complaining there were no official warnings issued.Mobile phone networks and the electricity supply were knocked out, limiting the channels by which alerts are usually delivered.Many of those who were killed are believed to have been trapped in their homes or caught in their cars as they made a desperate last-minute bid to escape.Residents have also complained that the government has been slow to help in the aftermath of the tragedy, with many saying they&#x27;re getting more assistance from civil groups.Hawaii&#x27;s Governor Josh Green last week ordered a probe into the preparations for and response to tragedy, to see if lessons can be learned.Only a handful of bodies recovered from Lahaina have been identified so far.<div>— With reports from Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse</div>

A Filipino was killed in the wildfire that ripped through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina last week, the DFA said. 