At least 571 Filipinos have expressed willingness to be repatriated home while 20 others are set to arrive this weekend.
This comes after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered intensified efforts to bring home overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said 221 of the 571 are ready for repatriation while 350 are being processed by the Lebanese immigration. “This weekend, may mga 20 makauwi. Nagsimula na kagabi. May dalawang nauwi kagabi/kahapon, Biyernes at mayroon pang dalawang flights na dadating,” Cacdac said.
He said 178 Filipinos are housed at Philippine-run shelters, with four temporary accommodations in different parts of Beirut. Among those manning the shelters include a doctor, a nurse, and a social worker.
“So, patuloy lang ang ating effort. Of course, we are still considering the option of chartering by air or by sea but we will leave the details muna,” Cacdac said. “We’re still undertaking the preparations and we’re leaving the details for that matter or for a future announcement,” he added.
There are 11,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, mostly in Beirut, with the majority working as domestic workers, according to the DMW Secretary.
President Marcos ordered concerned government agencies to use all resources to ensure the safe and timely repatriation of Filipinos affected by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Cacdac said they have already contacted the next of kin in the Philippines and extended the agency’s sympathies to the family of the Filipino nurse who died in Abu Dhabi. | PND
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