Most Filipinos in Lebanon refuse to return home despite the intensified conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.
In an interview over Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, DFA Assistant Secretary Robert Ferrer said there had been consultations with the Filipino community leaders in Lebanon and “almost unanimously are opposed to any mandatory repatriation" by the Philippine government.
“We’re a democracy here in the Philippines and abroad so we cannot force those Filipinos in Lebanon, they are used to the crisis there. However, we are processing more than 1,000 requests,” he said.
Ferrer assured their families that talks with the Filipino community are continuous and that the Philippine Embassy in Beirut is prepared to “initiate a mass repatriation in case the need arises”.
“We are doing all we can to ensure the safety of our over 10,000 Filipino kababayans in Lebanon,” he said.
“But we still reiterate the call for all Filipinos in Lebanon to avail themselves of the government’s voluntary repatriation program while commercial flights are still available and the situation in Beirut is still stable,” he added.
To date, more than 500 have returned to the Philippines while over 1,000 are still being processed for repatriation.
Ferrer said no Filipino was hurt in the latest wave of Israeli attacks against Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon the past few days, which have killed over 400 and injured more than a thousand.
On the part of the government, he called for a “peaceful solution” among all parties and stakeholders in the region.
“We pray for cooler heads to prevail on all the stakeholders and the parties to the conflict. We have over 10,000 Filipinos and each of them is very important to the president, to our government,” he said.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) likewise urged Filipinos to avail of the Philippine government’s voluntary repatriation program.
“Alam natin na marami pa rin ang hindi nag a-avail ng voluntary repatriation kaya’t patuloy ang aming panawagan (We know that there are still many who do not avail of voluntary repatriation, so our call continues),” DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in an interview.
“We join the DFA at ang embahada natin sa Beirut sa panawagan na umuwi na habang maari pa, bukas pa ang airpot at maari pang umuwi ng ligtas sa ating mahal na bayan (We join the DFA and our embassy in Beirut in their call for them to go home while they can, the airport is still open, and they can still return safely to our beloved country),” he added.
He said those who would avail of the repatriation program would need two to three weeks to process their immigration documents on the side of Lebanon.
The Philippine government has so far repatriated 430 Filipinos. (With a report from Marita Moaje/PNA)
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