The Philippine government is bringing home 290 Filipinos from Lebanon on Saturday amid the continuing unrest in the country due to intensified conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.
The latest batch consists of 233 overseas Filipino workers and 13 dependents; and 21 overseas Filipinos with 23 dependents.
They boarded Flight MYW9071, which took off from Lebanon at about 2 p.m. on Oct. 25 (Beirut time) and are expected to arrive in Manila on Saturday afternoon.
The chartered flight from Beirut to Manila, with a stopover at Doha, Qatar, has been arranged by the DMW, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Philippine Embassy in Turkiye.
The DMW said this complies with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to evacuate Filipinos “by whatever means” amid the unrest in the Middle East.
In his report to the President, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the DMW and DFA are working closely “to ensure that Filipinos in Lebanon are taken out of harm’s way.”
"The Philippine Embassy and the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Lebanon work hand-in-hand with the host government to facilitate travel documents for Filipinos to join this flight,” Cacdac said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, meanwhile, said the DFA “remains committed to the task at hand," noting the continuing coordination among other Philippine embassies in the region, including those in Beirut and Doha.
Marcos earlier directed the DMW and other agencies to mobilize the resources and assets of the government to bring home Filipino workers from Lebanon.
The latest repatriation brings the total number of Filipinos evacuated from Lebanon to 903, including 47 dependents.
Meanwhile, the DMW, MWO, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) continue to provide aid to Filipinos awaiting their repatriation schedule.
The MWO is also providing care for 69 Filipinos residing in shelters in Beirut, ensuring they receive food and other necessities.
“We stand ready to assist those who are willing to be repatriated. We are encouraging OFWs to avail of the voluntary repatriation program,” Cacdac said.
“And sa pag-uwi nila, a whole-of-government approach ang nakahanda (And once they are home, there is a whole-of-government approach in place), as directed by the President, with unprecedented financial assistance and other forms of support under the Bagong Pilipinas.”
The DMW, through its AKSYON Fund, will provide financial aid worth PHP75,000 each to all repatriates, PHP75,000 from OWWA, and an additional PHP20,000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The Department of Health, meanwhile, is on standby to provide free medical consultations and psychological first aid to the repatriates.
The DMW, through its National Reintegration Center for OFWs, will assist the repatriates in establishing their livelihood ventures or finding alternative employment opportunities, in addition to the free skills training vouchers from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. (PNA)
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