NEW YORK CITY – The Philippines expressed its deepest sympathies to the United States and to the families of the 50 people killed in Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada.
At the same time, consular authorities were checking if any Filipinos were among the 400 people injured in the attack on an outdoor concert site at the so-called Vegas Strip, with the shooter perched with 10 high-powered guns from the 32nd floor of a hotel.
“We offer our deepest sympathies to the United States over this disturbing act of violence that took the lives of 50 people in Las Vegas last night,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said in a statement from New York where he is on an official visit. “We mourn with the families of those who perished and hope for the speedy recovery of the more than 400 people who were reported injured,” Secretary Cayetano said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the American people today.”
The Secretary said the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles is monitoring developments and is in touch with authorities to determine whether there were any Filipinos among the victims of the deadly shooting at a country music concert at the Las Vegas strip on Sunday evening.
Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz said the Consulate General is looking into the condition of the 131,000 members of the Filipino Community in Las Vegas, which is also a popular tourist destination for Filipinos from other parts of the US and the Philippines.
“We are coordinating with Las Vegas police authorities and with leaders of the Filipino Community to check on our kababayans there,” Consul General Cruz said. “We hope and pray that all of them are safe and accounted for.”
The incident came hours before Cayetano was to meet with all heads of Philippine Foreign Service posts in the Americas to discuss how the Philippine government could better respond to calls for assistance from distressed Filipinos abroad.
