The Philippines said Wednesday that it is ready to offer aid to Indonesia, which was hit by a great earthquake three months after a devastating tsunami.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it has not received any report of Filipinos being affected by the earthquake that struck off the west coast of Sumatra on Monday night.
"As of this morning, there is no report of any Filipinos killed or injured in the Indonesian tremor," DFA spokesman Gilbert Asuque said.
Asuque said that while the nation prays that Filipinos in Indonesia may be spared from the calamity, the Philippine Embassy officials in Jakarta have been instructed to immediately assist Filipinos who may be affected by the earthquake.
More than 1,000 people are feared to have died in the earthquake that struck near Nias island off western Sumatra.
The epicenter of the 8.7 magnitude quake was just about 180 kilometers southeast of the one three months ago which triggered a devastating tsunami killing nearly 300,000 people in five countries in southern Asia.
Indonesia's disaster center said around 1,000 people were killed in the new earthquake, one of the eight biggest in the world since 1900.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo has ordered Philippine Ambassador to Jakarta Shulan O. Primavera to immediately inform the department of any assistance that the Philippines may offer to Indonesia, said Philippine officials.
Primavera reported to the DFA that the embassy staff has been calling the officers and members of Filipino associations in Indonesia as well as local authorities for any information of a Filipino who may have perished or been injured by the tremor.
There are about 4,000 Filipinos and eight Filipino associations all over Indonesia. Most of the Filipinos reside in the capital Jakarta.