Pinoy feared killed in Israel

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino may have been one of the casualties in the attacks on Israel by the militant Hamas group, the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv said yesterday, citing the discovery by Israeli authorities of human remains with Asian features.

An embassy official said a DNA test on the body would be made to determine if it is of the female caregiver who – according to a family member – has been missing since the outbreak of violence.

Leaders of the Filipino community in Israel alerted the embassy to the discovery of the remains.

Embassy officials are in contact with the missing caregiver’s sister, who was among the 23 Filipinos rescued from Hamas militants.

“No confirmation yet,” an official told The STAR, referring to the identity of the remains, which reportedly were already in an advanced state of decomposition. “The embassy contacted the sister. She was fearful and distraught,” the official added.

The embassy has dispatched a team to provide assistance to evacuated Filipinos housed in hotels as well as to check hospitals where some Filipinos may have been taken.

It said it is “deeply grateful to the Israeli security forces risking their lives to rescue our kababayan caught in the combat areas, as well as to the Israeli emergency services and kibbutz authorities who included Filipino nationals in their evacuation operations.”

Ambassador Pedro Laylo Jr. said in an interview with CNN Philippines that the embassy received the report on the death of the Filipino Monday night.

“We received a report (Monday) night that there had been a Filipino casualty. So first thing in the morning our labor attaché will verify if a caregiver had died,” Laylo said in Filipino.

Verification of reports received by the embassy, he said, usually takes time, as it has to rely only on Israeli authorities for information.

As of yesterday, six Filipinos – all caregivers – remain unaccounted for, including the reported fatality. They were working in communities near the Gaza border. The whereabouts of an agro-student, the seventh reported missing on Monday, had already been established.

No travel ban

Although there is no end in sight to the violence in Israel and Gaza Strip, the Marcos administration is not imposing a ban on travel to the Jewish state but is advising Filipinos to defer their trip.

“We haven’t put a travel ban on Israel. But our embassy has issued a travel advisory, so as much as possible, avoid traveling right now,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said at a Palace press briefing yesterday.

“We are not telling you not to go. But we are advising you that it’s best, if possible, to postpone them until we are absolutely sure that hostilities have ended because, after all, even the Prime Minister of Israel has said that we are in a state of war. So, it’s not normal for somebody who wants to visit a country, which is in a state of war,” he added.

De Vega said some tourists who visited Israel recently had difficulties returning home.

Last Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country is in a state of war in response to a surprise attack by Hamas that left hundreds of people dead. The hostilities between Israeli forces and Hamas militants have claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, according to latest reports.

Because of the conflict, several airlines in Asia have canceled their flights to Tel Aviv. The airlines include Hainan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Korean Air, according to the Presidential Communications Office. More than 19,000 Filipinos visited Israel in the first half of the year. According to the records of Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, there are about 30,000 Filipinos in Israel.

Deployment

At the same press briefing, Migrant Workers Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the government has not banned the deployment of workers to Israel.

“Right now, what’s proceeding is the deployment of hotel workers... It takes alert level three to hold the deployment, alert level two for new hires and alert level three for all types of workers. So, we are not yet in alert level two, so technically we do not have a deployment ban,” Cacdac said.

“But again, the situation we are in is that we have a government-to-government hiring arrangement with our Israeli counterparts. So, it’s a two-way street. We have to be well-coordinated with our Israeli labor and immigration counterparts before we even proceed, even if there is no ban,” he added.

The Philippine embassy in Amman, Jordan, for its part has recommended raising the repatriation alert to level three in Gaza Strip. Level three allows voluntary repatriation.

Cacdac noted that alert level three is declared if the situation in an area has worsened but there is still order in that country.  The embassy in Amman has jurisdiction over Gaza Strip. “This will be cleared with the President,” Cacdac said.

Asked why not alert level four or mandatory repatriation, DFA’s De Vega replied: “Because this is a situation which sadly is kind of a regular thing.”

Gaza Strip is home to about 137 Filipinos, many of whom are spouses of Palestinians.  De Vega said 38 Filipinos from Gaza Strip have requested for repatriation.

“It (voluntary repatriation) is not yet announced as final. But we are going by that, it is like de facto already even if it is not yet officially signed or announced by the President,”” De Vega said.

“We could say that it’s on voluntary repatriation already and the only issue is, well...how to repatriate them, because that is what we are working on diplomatically,” he added.

“There are the exit points both to Israel or through Egypt which are heavily guarded by both Egypt or Israel. And so, there are measures now being undertaken so that we could hopefully bring them home as soon as possible. But right now, no casualties among the Filipinos in Gaza,” the foreign affairs official said.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration administrator Arnell Ignacio, for his part, said his agency is working with the foreign affairs and migrant workers departments to provide the needs of Filipinos affected by the conflict.

Ignacio said the government is very careful about relaying information to media, as unverified reports could spark panic and unnecessary fear.

“And we’d like to appeal to our countrymen, each time that you make transmission from where you are, it can jeopardize your situation; you may be traced,” he added.

At a press briefing in Australia, DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo reiterated the country’s support for Israel’s right to self-defense.

“We have already issued statements condemning the events, especially the targeting of civilians, and we’ve also recognized the right to self-defense of Israel in accordance with the United Nations Charter,” Manalo said.

Upon the invitation of his counterpart Penny Wong and Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell, Manalo and Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual are in Australia to jointly preside over the 6th Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting (PAMM) in Adelaide, South Australia.

In a statement, Sen. Bong Go said the government should take immediate action to account for the missing Filipinos in Israel.

“I call upon all relevant agencies to work hand in hand in this endeavor. Let us set aside bureaucracy and focus on immediate action. Lives are at stake here,” Go, vice chair of the Senate committee on migrant workers, said.

“Let’s protect the lives of every Filipino wherever they are in the world, especially those we consider modern-day heroes, the OFWs who work to provide for their families left behind,” he added. There should also be a plan for their immediate repatriation.

“The safety of our kababayans is paramount. I urge the DMW, DFA and POEA to act swiftly and ensure that every Filipino worker is accounted for,” said Go.

Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos, vice chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI), has called on Filipinos to “keep themselves safe, follow our government instructions and pray with us for peace and harmony.”

“It is urgent and necessary that we pray and hope for peace. Peace is what our world needs,” he added. — Mayen Jaymalin, Evelyn Macairan, Cecille Suerte-Felipe