Missing Filipino in Nepal identified; family asks for help

A drone shot shows firefighters conducting search and rescue operations at a damaged road leading to Gyirong Port yesterday following a mudslide and flashflood in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region. Inset shows a Facebook image of Juan Carlos Manalo, the Filipino doctor who is currently missing after the catastrophic flash flood in Nepal.

MANILA, Philippines — A 30-year-old doctor has been identified as the Filipino missing in Nepal following a catastrophic flash flood that has claimed the lives of at least 489 people.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Chiara Manalo said her brother, physician Juan Carlos Manalo, “has been missing and out of contact since the flash flood at the Nepal border last Aug. 26, 2026.”

“Please help us look for my brother,” she appealed to the public. 

Chiara said her brother’s last contact with the family was around 1 p.m. (Philippine time) on Tuesday, a day before the flash flood hit in the Bhotekoshi River, on the Nepal-China border in Rasuwa district.

In a list provided by Nepali Police, Manalo was reported to be among a group of pilgrims on their Kailashyatra tour organized by the India-based spiritual organization Isha Foundation.

“The group’s last known whereabouts was at the immigration office at Gyirong,” Chiara said, citing information from the Philippine counterpart of the pilgrimage group.

At least 77 pilgrims en route to India remain unaccounted for after the flood hit the immigration center, according to a social media post on Wednesday by Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru.

Chiara said her brother served as a volunteer medical worker at the foundation for the past couple of years and had joined the tour early this month.

“Kuya went to India in May this year for a retreat with the Sadhguru group. He mentioned that they would go to Nepal. They previously went there last year,” Chiara said.

“We humbly ask to include him in your prayers, that he may return to us safely soon,” Chiara added.

“We’re considering if we want to go (to Nepal). Realistically, we don’t know what will happen. Right now, we’re focusing on getting as much reach as possible,” Chiara said.

Juan Carlos, a general physician, is the oldest among four siblings. His interests include yoga and meditation, Chiara said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that the government is coordinating with the Philippine embassy in India and the honorary consulate general in Nepal to assist affected Filipinos.

Similar scenario?

Asked whether what happened to Nepal could take place in the Philippines, a disaster-prone country, Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said, “not to that extent or scale.”

He, however, did not discount the possibility of another Typhoon Sendong happening in the country.

The 2011 typhoon caused up to 2,500 deaths in Mindanao as flash floods caused dams to burst.

Debris avalanches could also pose danger for people living in mountainous areas, like the tragedy that struck Saint Bernard town in Southern Leyte in 2006.

Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, said many Filipinos continue to be vulnerable to debris flows.