MANILA, Philippines - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has belied a report that a second Filipino overseas Filipino worker (OFW) has been rescued from a collapsed supermarket in Haiti.

Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, AFP spokesman, said that Lt. Col. Lope Dagoy, commander of the Philippine military's peacekeeping contingent in Haiti, has called them up to clarify an announcement by the Deparment of Foreign Affairs (DFA) about the rescue of overseas Filipino worker Grace Fabian.

Dagoy has been informing the military about the Filipinos’ situation in Haiti through a satellite phone.

Brawner said that according to Dagoy, Fabian has not been rescued. He said the Philippine peacekeeping commander has assured that a team is working double time to rescue the Filipina worker and other people trapped under the collapsed Caribbean Supermarket.

DFA spokesperson Ed Malaya has declined to comment on the wrong information they received on Fabian's supposed rescue.

Malaya, instead, said in a statement to abs-cbnNEWS.com that rescuers are working overtime to pullout Fabian and Geraldine Calican, another Filipina worker at the supermarket.

Meanwhile, Brawner said hopes are still high that the 3 Filipino peacekeepers -- Army Sergeant Eustacio Bermudez, Air Force Sergeant Janice Arocena and Navy Petty Officer 3 Pearlie Panangui -- are still alive despite being trapped under the collapsed Hotel Christopher, which was being used as headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission, for 4 days now.

Brawner said rescue teams from different nations continue to dig up from the hotel's debris in search for trapped civilians and UN employees.

Another Filipino, Jerome Yap, has also been identified as among those still unaccounted for. Yap is the administrative officer of the Principal Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Haiti. He is one of 35 to 40 Filipinos working as international staff of the United Nations, the DFA said in a statement.

Philippines prepare medical team

Acting Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said that the medical team assembled by the government to help the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti may leave early next week.

"Earliest is Monday. They will have to wait until all the diplomatic amenities have been done. The team is ready. Supplies and equipment are ready," Cabral told ANC's Dateline Philippines.

The health chief said the 21-man medical team is composed of trauma surgeons, paediatricians, internists, anaesthesiologists, epidemiologists, nurses and sanitary engineers.

He said the team, led by Dr. Emmanuel Bueno of the East Avenue Medical Center in Manila, is used to dealing with injuries, wounds and would be a big help to the United Nations' team aiding Haitians and foreigners, who got caught by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake last Tuesday.

Cabral, meanwhile, clarified that the expenses of the Philippine medical team will be shouldered by the government.

She also clarified that the team will not focus on Filipino victims in Haiti. She said the team will be supervised by an lead international team that has started providing aid in the country.

The formation of a special medical team is part of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's promise to help the calamity-stricken country. It was also a response to the United Nations' immediate call for all member-nations to send aid to Haiti.

Aside from the medical team, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said a team of military peacekeeping volunteers have been put on standby in Central Luzon. It said the group may also be sent to Haiti.

“The Filipino nation joins the international community in expressing sympathy and support to the Republic of Haiti over the recent earthquake that has claimed the lives of yet undetermined number of people, injured many more, and caused widespread destruction of property,” President Arroyo said in a statement.

“It is our fervent wish that Haiti recovers quickly and fully from this tragedy,” she added.