GMA appeals to Israeli combatants not to harm Pinoys

As trapped Filipinos began their slow trek to safe refuge, President Arroyo appealed yesterday to warring forces in Lebanon "not to shoot or harm them" and ordered crisis managers to put markers on the evacuees and their sanctuaries to identify them as non-combatants.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that an initial batch of 192 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are scheduled to arrive aboard a chartered Emirates Airlines flight on 1p.m. Saturday.

In her remarks at the opening of the Small and Medium Enterprises Exposition at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City, the President said the government is "keenly focused on our zero casualty goals for Filipino workers in the Lebanon-Israeli conflicts" as she ordered the release of P150 million or $2.8 million for the evacuation process.

"Our crisis managers on site shall device clear markers… that will identify Filipino nationals and in the name of humanity, I ask combatants not to shoot or harm them," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"The Philippines made a special appeal to all combatant forces to spare Filipino nationals who have no wish other than to be taken out of harm’s way," she said.

The President assured the families of the OFWs that the government will "exhaust all the available means to ensure their safety."

She said the government has also opened more lines of communication between the OFWs in Lebanon and their families.

There are an estimated 30,000 documented and undocumented Filipinos trapped in the fighting between Israeli forces and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants.

Mrs. Arroyo also ordered the country’s diplomatic posts in the region to negotiate "at the political level and on the ground whenever possible" to ensure that the trapped Filipinos are given safe passage, humanitarian assistance and safe sanctuary.

Philippine diplomats in the region, she said, are coordinating with private foreign firms for the lease of vessels and aircraft needed for the evacuation.

"Our resources may not be enough but we are trying to address the problem by teaming up with other foreign countries that could help us in the evacuation process," the Chief Executive said.

She added that "our best-laid plans can never come (true) without the cooperation of all. This is true for the safety of our OFWs in Lebanon."

While she was visiting the booths at the exposition, Ambassador Roy Cimatu, head of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Team, called up Mrs. Arroyo and gave her updates on the evacuation process.

"Good luck Roy, bring them home safely," Mrs. Arroyo told Cimatu over the phone.

Cimatu, who was on his way to Damascus, Syria to prepare for the arrival of the 200 OFWs who fled Lebanon by bus, said Philippine flags were placed on various temporary evacuation centers in Lebanon.

Vehicles to be used to transport OFWs to various staging points in Lebanon before being shipped out or airlifted would also be marked with Philippine flags.

Cimatu said the evacuation has been coordinated with concerned authorities in Lebanon, Israel as well as in Syria, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, where the OFWs are expected to be shipped or airlifted once a full evacuation gets underway.

"We make it a point that their work sites are well identified and properly coordinated with the IDF (Israeli Defense Force)... in coordination with our ambassador in Israel," Cimatu told reporters in a telephone interview.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Wednesday there are six escape routes from Lebanon: by sea from Beirut to Cyprus; by sea to Rhodes Island in Greece; by land from Beirut all the way up to Tarsus in Northern Syria; by land from Beirut to Merlin in Turkey; Beirut to Damascus and the trek to the northern mountains of Lebanon to an old Maronite Christian fortress.

DFA Undersecretary for migrant workers’ affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said the main highway from Beirut to Damascus has been heavily bombed but there are alternate routes that are being used by the evacuees.

Cimatu said he changed the original plan of transporting the initial batch of 200 evacuees from Syria to Dubai from where they would be flown back to Manila. He said he is already looking for a place where the OFWs could stay in Damascus and be flown direct to Manila.

Despite the entry of Israeli ground troops in Lebanon and the forced evacuation being done by governments of other foreign nationals, Cimatu said he is not yet recommending a total and forced pullout of OFWs.

He said the situation in Beirut has been "limited to sporadic skirmishes" and that the Filipino relocation centers — three Catholic churches — are clearly identified to the combatants.

"We have our indicators and parameters for evacuation... we will still assess the situation on the ground," Cimatu said.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said the P150 million released yesterday was on top of the $500,000 put up by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to help defray the cost of evacuation.

Defensor said the money would not only be used for chartering aircraft and vessels but also for food, medicine and lodging of the OFWs.

He said Filipinos waiting in the three churches in Lebanon are reportedly running out of food.

Standby fund tapped

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said the P150 million will be pooled under the DFA’s Assistance-to-Nationals fund, the standby fund that is tapped for contingencies involving Filipinos abroad.

In its letter to Andaya, the DFA said it would use the P150 million for "supplies, transport and communications" needed for the "emergency relocation" of Filipinos affected by the conflict between Israel and Lebanon.

"My understanding is that the fund can also be used for the relocation of OFWs in Israel in case they need to be brought out of harm’s way too," Andaya said.

The DFA said the US State Department said Americans would help evacuate Filipinos "to the extent that it would be safe to do so, and within the limits of available resources."

Canadian Ambassador Peter Sutherland said Canada has not received a request for assistance from Manila. He said Canada will assist the Philippines in repatriating Filipinos in Lebanon but will first take care of its own citizens, 50,000 of whom are living in the strife-torn country.

Coming home

Conejos said the "initial batch" of 192 OFWs have left Beirut and are en route to Syria. They were earlier reported to be scheduled to arrive in Manila this afternoon, but the DFA sent a text message to reporters late yesterday, saying that their return has been reset for Saturday "to await flight clearances of the chartered Emirates Airlines Lockheed 11 on direct flight from Damascus to Manila."

Of the 200 OFWs who volunteered to be repatriated to the Philippines, including those who are to be deported due to visa problems, Conejos said eight Filipinos did not show up, having decided to remain in Beirut.

"Our OFWs are aware of what is happening in Beirut at this time. They are in the best position to assess whether it is dangerous for them to stay or it is time for them to go. In the case of (the eight OFWs), they have made a conscious decision that it is safe for them to remain in Beirut for the meantime so we have about 192 OFWs (repatriated)," he said.

Another batch of 800 OFWs, according to Conejos, signed up with the Philippine embassy in Lebanon for repatriation but immediately returned to their employers. They did not stay in the relocation center at the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church outside Beirut.

He also said the Philippines has received clearances and assurances from Israel and Lebanon for the safe passage of OFWs.

"We have coordinated this movement very closely with the Israeli and Lebanese governments. They have given clearance for this movement to go," Conejos said.

The government also coordinated with Syria through DFA Undersecretary for special concerns Rafael Seguis for the smooth entry of Filipinos into Damascus. The Philippine consulate general in Damascus is also expected to meet with OFWs at the border.

Conejos declined to answer questions about the dangerous routes the OFWs would go through before they can reach Syria, saying this was an "operational" matter that should not be disclosed because of security implications.

He did say that the OFWs would be moving on their own with no escort from either Israel or Lebanon. — With Mayen Jaymalin, Rainier Allan Ronda, AFP, AP