Gov't augments fund for repatriation of Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine government has released additional P50 million ($1.11 million) to augment the fund for the continuing repatriation of Filipinos affected by the deteriorating security situation in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Gaza, a senior government official said today.

The additional fund was provided to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which declared earlier Crisis Alert Level 4 or forced evacuation of Filipinos in those areas, said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.

The recent release will augment the P100-million emergency fund that the DFA received in August this year to help in the repatriation of Filipinos from Libya.

The DFA ordered the pullout of Filipinos in the Gaza Strip in June this year due to threats to security in relation to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Around the same time, the state agency made a similar call in Iraq because of the rapidly deteriorating security situation.

In July 2014, the DFA called for the repatriation of Filipinos in Libya because of the worsening violence. The on-going repatriation of Filipinos in Syria first started in December 2012.