'My sister was crying and asking for help': How UAE-based Filipinos cope with news of the Mindanao quake

Dubai: The videos started arriving before many had even finished breakfast. Buildings shaking. People running into the streets. Frightened voices filling social media feeds. Then came the messages.

For many Filipinos living and working in the UAE, the powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Mindanao has turned an ordinary day into hours of fear and uncertainty as they desperately tried to reach family members back home.

As of writing, more than 40 people have been killed, over 450 injured, and thousands displaced after the powerful quake struck off the southern Philippine island, collapsing buildings and triggering tsunami warnings.

While rescue workers rushed to help survivors on the ground, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Emirates have faced a different struggle, waiting for a call, a message, or any sign that their loved ones were safe. For some, those hours have felt endless.

Gulf News has reached out to OFWs in the UAE who have hailed from Mindanao as they recount the tense hours of trying to reach home.

For Dubai resident Cindy Viel Maravillas Silva, a culinary coordinator originally from Digos City, the disaster has become real the moment a message appeared on her phone.

"My sister messaged me on Messenger, sending videos while crying and asking for help," Silva told Gulf News.

"I froze because I was far away and couldn't do anything."

As aftershocks rattled parts of Mindanao, communication has been difficult. Internet connections have been disrupted in some areas, leaving families struggling to contact one another. Silva has remembered staring at her phone, trying repeatedly to get through while praying for good news.

"Once I gathered myself, I immediately called my family while praying that they were safe."

Her family had quickly moved to an open area near their home, away from concrete structures that could collapse during aftershocks. The relief has been overwhelming. But the memory of her sister's voice has remained difficult to forget.

Across the UAE, many Filipinos have experienced the same emotional roller coaster. Monica Guadalupe, a guest services officer in Dubai, from Davao City, has first learned about the earthquake through social media. Every minute, she has been searching for updates and trying to contact relatives.

"I felt really scared and worried. My family is in Mindanao and being far from them made me feel helpless. As an OFW, it is very hard when something happens back home because you’re not physically there to check on your family," exclaimed Guadalupe.

As reports of casualties and damage continued to emerge, she has found herself constantly checking her phone.

"I kept checking my phone again and again because I was really nervous."

Every notification has raised hope. Every delay has increased anxiety. When the confirmation has finally arrived that her family was safe, she felt a wave of relief.

"But I am still sad and worried for the other families affected."

For many OFWs, the earthquake has reopened a familiar emotional wound, the challenge of being far from home during moments of crisis.

"When I heard about the earthquake in Mindanao, my heart immediately went out to my family and everyone affected," recalled Mary Jane Lorejo, an internal call centre agent in Dubai, from Davao de Oro.

"Being far from home, I felt worried and anxious so I quickly reached out to my loved ones through calls and messages to make sure they are safe."

The inability to physically help loved ones has been something many OFWs know all too well. While families in Mindanao gathered in evacuation areas and open spaces, their relatives abroad could do little more than wait, watch, and hope.

In Ras Al Khaimah, recreation supervisor Riza Juanico has woke up to the devastating news and immediately contacted her family in Butuan City.

"I was shocked and worried because it happened early morning and it was a devastating disaster," shared Juanico.

Thankfully, her relatives have been unharmed. But the experience has reinforced an important lesson.

"We must always be ready for emergency protocols to make ourselves safe and know how to survive in this calamity. Always monitor our families because we don't know what will happen tomorrow."

As the scale of the disaster became clearer, many OFWs in the UAE have turned to faith and community support. Silva has highlighted that prayer became a source of comfort during the uncertainty.

"Being far from our loved ones during times like this is heartbreaking and frightening. Even if we cannot be physically present, we can continue to support them through prayers and constant communication," said Silva.

Lorejo has echoed the same message. "Though we are far away, our prayers, support, and love remain with our families. Let us continue to stand together and hope for safer days ahead."

For Guadalupe, the tragedy has served as a reminder of the strong ties that connect OFWs to home, regardless of distance.

"It is painful to be far away when our families are facing something scary back home. Even if we are far, our hearts are always with our families and with Mindanao," stated Guadalupe.

For its part, the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has noted that it intensified monitoring efforts to identify and assist OFWs and their families affected by the earthquake.

In a Facebook post, the agency has bared that it is working closely with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and is prepared to provide assistance.

"The DMW and OWWA are ready to assist on OFWs affected by the cancellation of flights to and from General Santos City airport, among other related services for the families of our modern heroes who were badly affected by the earthquake," said DMW in Filipino.

Moreover, the agency has urged affected families to seek help through regional offices or the 24-hour DMW-OWWA hotline 1348.

"To our countrymen abroad, do not worry, because the government is focused on the safety of your loved ones."

Meanwhile, the UAE has also expressed solidarity with the Philippines following the tragedy.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has conveyed its condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the government and people of the Philippines.

"The MoFA expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, and to the government and people of the Philippines over this tragedy, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured," read the statement.

For now, as rescue teams continue searching through damaged communities and thousands remain displaced, many Filipinos in the UAE have been doing what they have done since the first reports emerged, keeping their phones close, checking on family members, and counting themselves fortunate to hear the words they had been longing for all day, "we're safe."