“We share the grief and sorrow of the leaders and the people of Morocco over this tragedy.  We also share the admiration of the world for the courage and resilience shown by the brave people of Morocco and we are confident that they will overcome this grave calamity,” the Secretary said.  An earthquake struck early Tuesday, reducing several mountain villages around the Mediterranean port of Al Hoceima to rubble.  Over 600 are reported dead and hundreds more injured from the quake, which was measured at 6.3 on the Richter scale by French seismologists and was felt as far away as southern Spain.

The Secretary said that there are no reports on any Filipinos killed or injured by the earthquake. “We have a number of Filipinos in Morocco but most of them are in Rabat, which is a few hundred kilometres east of Al Hoceima.  We have no embassy in Rabat but our embassy in Tripoli is accredited to Morocco.  Our
embassy in Tripoli will continue to monitor this situation and keep us updated.  I continue to hope and pray that all our Filipinos in Morocco are safe,” the Secretary said.

The Secretary said that the Philippines shares a close history with Morocco and recalled that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had met with King Mohammed VI of Morocco at the sidelines of the 10th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia on 16 October 2004.  “During
their meeting, President Arroyo and King Mohammed acknowledged the historical ties between the Philippines and Morocco as well as the many opportunities a reinvigorated relationship could present to both countries. King Mohammed said that the 1996 peace agreement was a diplomatic success for the OIC in
partnership with the Philippines.  King Mohamed also threw the full support of the Moroccan Government behind the Philippine bid for observer status in the OIC,” the Secretary said. END.