DFA raises alert level 4 in Egypt, calls for mandatory repatriation

Egyptian military and policemen carry coffins covered with national flags of bodies of off-duty policemen who were killed near the border town of Rafah, North Sinai, upon their arrival at Almaza military airport, Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Aug. 19, 2013. Islamic militants on Monday ambushed two mini-buses carrying off-duty policemen in the northern region of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing more than two dozen of them execution-style in a brazen daylight attack that deepens the turmoil roiling the country and underscores the volatility of the strategic region. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised crisis alert Level 4 in Egypt, which signals the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos living in the country.

DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario, who is currently in Egypt, expressed alarm at the dangers in the country posed on Filipino immigrants especially after a bloodbath between armed vigilantes and Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

The marked deterioration of peace and order in Egypt, exacerbated by the ongoing political instability and grave security challenges in that country, makes working and living there increasingly difficult and dangerous," Del Rosario said.

The latest alert entails mandatory evacuation for overseas Filipinos in the country at the expense of Philippine government, DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said in a statement.

"A Rapid Response Team (RRT) arrived in Cairo on August 17 to assist in the implementation of the repatriation program,' Hernandez said.

Del Rosario calls on Filipino nationals in Egypt to contact the Philippine Embassy in Cairo immediately and to avail of its repatriation service.

The Embassy may be reached through the following contact details:

  • Trunk Lines: (+202) 25213062/64/65/51
  • Direct Lines: (+202) 2516 6217 / 25213045
  • Mobile Hotlines: (+2) 012 2743 6472 / 012 8247 6554
  • Fax No.: (+202) 2521-3048
  • Facebook: Cairo Philippine Embassy
  • e-mail: cairo: cairope@tedata.net.eg, cairo.pe@dfa.gov.ph

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