DBM releases P50M to repatriate Filipinos in Middle East

MANILA, Philippines - The Budget Department has released P50 million to augment the P100-million emergency fund created to bankroll the repatriation of Filipinos affected by the conflict in some parts of the Middle East.

In a statement, the agency noted that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has declared crisis alert level 4 in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Gaza and is implementing mandatory repatriation for Filipinos living or working there.

“Our countrymen face uncertainty and danger due to the untenable security situation in these Middle East countries,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said.

“As such, the National Government will focus its resources to bringing them back home, even as it shoulders all costs of their repatriation, whether by land, sea, or air,” he added.

Abad said the disbursement would complement the P100-million emergency fund that the DFA received last August.

Both releases came from the 2013 Contingent Fund and will supplement the DFA Assistance-To-Nationals Fund.

The Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will also provide P50 million and P800 million, respectively, to help in the repatriation efforts.

“Our repatriation program is an important tool in the government’s support system for Filipinos abroad. It gives us the ability to act on emergency conditions, whether in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,” Abad said.

“Our primary goal, as always, is to look out for the welfare of fellow Filipinos around the world, especially those living in conflict zones,” he added.

DFA ordered the pullout of Filipinos in Gaza Strip last June 2014 because of the conflict between the Israeli government and Hamas.

The agency also made a similar call in Iraq, which is being attacked by the extremist group Islamic State.

The DFA called for the repatriation of Filipinos in Libya last July while the repatriation of migrant workers in Syria started in 2012.