Philippines mission off to HAITI

A 21-member Philippine medical team was to fly to Haiti Monday to help in relief efforts in the earthquake-stricken Caribbean country, a senior health official said. Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said the team was scheduled to leave late Monday for San Francisco where they would take a connecting flight to Miami and then to Haiti via the Dominican Republic. "They will arrive in Haiti Tuesday afternoon," she said. "The team includes three trauma surgeons, two orthopaedists, two anaesthesiologists and one internist."At least 112,000 Haitians were confirmed killed in the magnitude-7 earthquake on January 12, and the toll could rise to 200,000, estimates said. Around 3 million people were affected by the quake. Four Filipinos were confirmed killed in the temblor while two more remained missing and presumed dead.