MANILA — The Philippine Consulate in Hawaii is sending a team to a city in Maui to provide assistance to distressed Filipinos affected by the wildfires, according to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega.

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“Our consulate is sending a team now… to a city in Maui, to form a team to provide consular assistance to our distressed Filipino nationals. We have to emphasize Filipino citizens primarily,” De Vega said during DFA’s budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

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“If they need repatriation, we will fund their repatriation,” De Vega noted.

De Vega also told the House Committee on Appropriations that it cannot confirm yet whether Filipinos were affected by the wildfire.

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However, he noted that 17 percent of Maui’s population are Filipinos and Filipino-Americans.

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“Ninety nine deceased and rising. Maui authorities have not given a breakdown by nationality. However, in Maui, 17 percent of the population are Filipinos or Filipino-Americans. We have to accept the possibility that eventually when they identify the bodies, that there are some Filipinos or Filipino-Americans,” De Vega said.

ACT Teachers Party List Rep. France Castro appealed to the DFA to also provide help to affected Filipino-Americans.

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The historic coastal town on the island of Maui was almost completely destroyed by the fast-moving inferno early Wednesday morning, with survivors saying there had been no warnings.

The death toll in Hawaii from the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century was expected to cross the 100-mark, fueling criticism that an inadequate official response contributed to the heavy loss of life.

— With a report from Agence France-Presse