MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) - The body of a 2nd Filipino peacekeeper was recovered from the collapsed Hotel Christopher, which had served as headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the quake-hit city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti, a Philippine military spokesman said Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said the body of Army Sergeant Eustacio Bermudez was pulled out of the collapsed hotel around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday (Manila time).

Bermudez was the 3rd confirmed Philippine fatality after the poor Caribbean nation was hit by a powerful earthquake last week.

On Tuesday, the bodies of Navy Petty Officer 3 Pearlie Panangui and UN staff member Jerome Yap were recovered from the same collapsed hotel.

A 3rd Filipino peacekeeper -- Air Force Sergeant Janice Arocena -- remained trapped under the collapsed hotel.

Two overseas Filipino workers, Geraldine “Maggie” Lalican and Grace Fabian, are also trapped under the collapsed Caribbean supermarket.

"We are still hopefull and optimistic that we will be able to rescue Sergeant Janice Arocena of the Philippine Air Force," Brawner told ANC's News@8.

Brawner said Filipino peackeepers are still working double time to rescue Lalican and Fabian from the collapsed supermarket.

The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had initially reported that Fabian had been rescued alive, but the AFP clarified that it was a misinformation and that she remained unrecovered from the supermarket.

The DFA earlier announced that 173 overseas Filipino workers have been confirmed safe. It had said that there are at least 290 Filipino community members in Haiti.

The number does not include the 172 members of the Philippine peacekeeping force.

Rescue ongoing

Lalican’s husband Lowell earlier said that rescuers have halted its operation at the collapsed supermarket.

“Wala na nga raw buhay halos lahat na raw puro patay na. Ako nga katwiran ko, patay o buhay ang asawa ko, gusto kong ilabas. Dahil hindi ako uuwi kung hindi ko kasabay misis ko,” said Lowell.

Lowell still believes that his wife is still alive. He urged the DFA to pressure rescuers to continue their search mission.

"Marami pang buhay sa building na yan kasi ilang beses na akong lumalabas doon minsan sumasama ako sa mga rescue team. Marami akong naririnig na nagkakantahan tungkol sa simbahan,” he said.

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, Esteban Conejos Jr., said they have not received that kind of report.

“Our information is that efforts to track our nationals from the rubble continue up to this time,” Conejos said.

Conejos added that they have been in contact with the families of Filipinos in Haiti.

"In fact, our ambassador and vice consul arrived in Haiti Monday afternoon and they have been meeting with the Filipino communities there to try to account for everybody, to provide emergency assistance, and also to try to sound them off the possibility of those who would like to return to the Philippines and arrange repatriation procedures for them,” said Conejos.

He said Philippine Ambassador to Cuba Macarthur Corsino and Vice Consul Jason Anasarias are now conducting an assessment to determine how many Filipinos have indicated their desire to come home.

“Supposing, for example, you have enough number to justify a chartered aircraft, we will do that. So we are just waiting now for the assessment report. How many have indicated and would they like to be picked up,” he said.

He further explained that the contingency plan is to move the Filipinos “as quickly as possible out of Haiti and into Sto. Domingo,” the capital of the Dominican Republic.

“So we can have a relocation site there for them to stay until we get the aircraft in,” he said. Reports from ANC’s Dateline Philippines and TV Patrol World