The family of missing Filipino couple Edsil Jess and Alexis Aladid continues to hold on to hope for a miracle following the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 28, 2025.
The couple was among the residents of Sky Villa condominium, which collapsed during the March 28 quake. They were last heard from prior to the disaster and have remained unaccounted for since. Edsil, a native of Bais, Negros Oriental, was a music teacher at Mandalay International School of Acumenas, where he had been working with his wife since 2023.
The death toll has climbed to 5,352, according to a recent update by Mizzima News, a Myanmar-based multimedia organization. Among the confirmed fatalities was Miss Tourism Myanmar, Silimee, who also lived in the same collapsed building.
In an interview with PEP.ph and later with Cabinet Files, Edsil’s younger brother Dehm Howard Adalid shared the family’s anguish and their ongoing hope. “Praying for miracle pa rin po na sana, hindi sila yung mga labi na nakita, at may milagro pa po na buhay pa rin sila,” he said.
Dehm explained that earlier reports mistakenly identified Edsil and Alexis as among the four Filipino fatalities retrieved from the rubble. “Yung previous news po kasi may na-identify na dead bodies ng four missing Filipinos. Ang akala nila, sina Kuya at Alex iyon kaya ang daming nag-chat sa akin,” he said.
However, he clarified that one of the identified bodies belonged to a fellow Filipino teacher. Still, two other decomposed bodies — a male and a female — were discovered, and authorities believe they could be the missing couple. DNA testing is now underway to confirm their identities.
On April 15, Dehm and other family members traveled to Manila to provide DNA samples, with assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “Pumunta kami sa Manila noong Holy Tuesday, April 15, for DNA sample po. In-assist kami ni Atty. [Zuleika] Lopez ng Department of Foreign Affairs at umuwi rin kami noong gabi,” Dehm recounted.
Earlier, on April 5, the DFA disclosed that most of the bodies recovered from the site were already in an advanced state of decomposition, prompting authorities in Myanmar to cremate them due to lack of cold storage facilities. The Philippine Embassy in Yangon had requested that tissue samples be taken from the deceased before cremation.
The DNA results will be matched with samples collected from the unidentified remains retrieved from Sky Villa. Until then, Edsil and Alexis’s family holds on to faith and the hope that the couple may still be found alive.
