DFA confirms fourth Filipino fatality in Maui wildfires
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) — The number of Filipinos who died due to the massive wildfires in Maui, Hawaii has risen to four, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed Sunday.
The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu said Rogelio Mabalot, a 68-year-old resident of Lahaina in Maui, is the fourth Filipino fatality in the widespread blaze.
The consulate said it was notified by the US Department of State - Office of Foreign Missions about Mabalot’s death last Aug. 25.
“The Consulate has reached out to Mr. Mabalot's next-of-kin and conveyed its deepest sympathies, as well as its full support and assistance,” it said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the families and friends affected by this devastating event."
Authorities previously reported that Salvador Coloma, 77; Alfredo Galinato, 79; and Rodolfo Rocutan, 76 were the three Filipinos among more than 100 people who died in the wildfires.
The consulate said it is still verifying the nationality of two other recently reported fatalities: Pablo Pagdilao III, 75, and Coleen Jones, 59. While both yielded negative results in consular records, the consulate said it is still verifying their information.
“Information from social media indicate a certain Pablo Pagdilao of Lahaina as hailing from Ilocos Norte, Philippines,” it added.
The consulate earlier reported that it was checking the names of Conchita Sagudang, Danilo Sagudang, Antonio Molina, and Carlo Tobias, who supposedly had relatives in the Philippines but did not appear in its records.
It requests relatives to contact the consulate’s hotline at: +18082539446.
