The Philippines will not send a second batch of rescuers to Turkey which was recently hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Monday.

In a press briefing, OCD Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said: “Turkish government will no longer accept 2nd contingent coming from us…They said the element of life-saving time has already passed.”

Alejandro said they deployed an 82-man team composed of members of the OCD, Department of Health (DOH), Armed Forces, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

The rescue team donated gloves, blankets, and bonnets to help earthquake victims cope with the freezing temperature in Turkey, he added.

The Philippine contingent was able to asses 20 buildings and treat around 55 patients in Adiyaman, Turkey.

According to Maj. Erwen Diploma, Philippine Contingent Commander, the temperature in Turkey is around 3 degrees Celsius.

Alfonso Danac, leader of the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (PEMAT), explained the challenges they encountered.

“We were the first medical team that reached Adiyaman so they are very grateful…We’re able to treat 55 patients in the first two days, including those who have a cough, difficulty breathing and diarrhea,” Danac said.

“Our number one challenge is the weather…the second challenge is the language barrier, because not everyone here can speak English fluently. We have interpreters who are volunteers who help us so we can understand how to approach the patients,” he added.

“In terms of logistics, we are okay for the next seven to days. But we have consulted with the DOH if we can add more medicines,” Danac said.

Alejandro also told the briefing that the country will not send a rescue team to Syria and will send donations in cash or kind. Jaspearl Tan/DMS