MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros has urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to repatriate as many Filipinos from Lebanon as they can the soonest as tensions in the Middle Eastern country further heightened.
Hontiveros called on the DFA and the DMW to exhaust all options to ensure the safety of Filipinos in Lebanon.
“I call on the DFA and DMW to repatriate as many of our kababayans in Lebanon as soon as possible. Our agencies should have contingency plans in place in case the situation worsens,” she said.
“I trust that our government agencies are exhausting all options to ensure the security, safety and welfare of our OFWs. They should already be mobilizing and prepositioning resources in anticipation of heightened tensions,” she added.
At the same time, the senator called on OFWs to contact the Philippine embassy.
“We will ensure in the Senate that those who return to the country should have livelihood assistance,” she said.
“Right now, what is important is the safe return home of Filipinos. Conflict may soon escalate. We should do all we can to remove our citizens from harm’s way,” she added.
Help desk
Amid Hontiveros’ call, a help desk is now available for all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon who need immediate assistance, according to the DMW.
The agency said all documented and undocumented OFWs affected by the escalating tension in Lebanon may call the Lebanon Help Desk for assistance, with hotlines available in the country or the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) as well as the Philippine embassy in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
Migrant Workers Undersecretary Felicitas Bay on Saturday reported that the Philippine government is ready and capable of mass repatriation of OFWs from Lebanon, if necessary.
Bay said the DFA has raised Alert Level 3 or voluntary repatriation of Filipino workers from Lebanon.
“If the DFA says it needs to be raised to Alert level 4 or mandatory evacuation, the DMW is ready to support and assist all Filipinos who would opt for mandatory evacuation,” she added.
In coordination with the government of Lebanon and various international organizations, the Philippine government can undertake the mass repatriation of OFWs, according to the DMW official.
She said the Philippine government also provides financial and other assistance to OFWs who decide to avail themselves of the repatriation program and return home.
Over a dozen OFWs are set to return home from Lebanon on Oct. 3 while the government is arranging more repatriation flights.
11,000 OFWs ignore call
A majority of OFWs refused to leave Lebanon as they claimed that there are no jobs for them if they go back to the Philippines.
About 11,000 documented OFWs do not want to heed the call of the Philippine embassy for voluntary repatriation as those workers have long been there and gone through the wars between Lebanon and Israel and even feel safe in Beirut.
The long-staying OFWs hold permanent jobs with their employers like office jobs, service workers in hotels and restaurants and are loyal to their employers in domestic jobs, Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat said in a recent interview.
Migration expert Manny Geslani said that OFWs who have acquired documentation arrived in Lebanon in 2014 from Dubai illegally and managed to immerse themselves into Lebanon’s mainstream communities.
The Philippine embassy has repatriated 164 OFWs since hostilities flared up when Hezbollah started raining rockets into Northern Lebanon, escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Most Filipino maids in Lebanon who have signed up for repatriation are “undocumented” and have been slipping into Lebanon despite a deployment ban imposed by the country since 2007.
Most of them used Dubai as the jump off point to Lebanon after leaving Manila through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other major international airports as tourists.
With cancellation of flights of international airlines, 1,000 OFWs who have registered for voluntary repatriation are stranded in Lebanon.
More airlines are suspending their flights to and from Beirut this week as the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated, leaving fewer options available for Americans looking to flee the country.
The developments came as Israel launched another wave of air strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon last Wednesday in response to the terrorist group firing off a ballistic missile that forced millions to take cover in bomb shelters in Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah said the long-range projectile, which was ultimately intercepted, was heading toward the headquarters of the Mossad intelligence agency.
Egyptair, Emirates, Etihad, Flydubai and Qatar Airways are among the airlines this week that have now suspended flights to and from Beirut due to the unstable security situation, according to Reuters and Al Arabiya.
Reuters also reported that Britain has advised United Kingdom-based airlines not to fly into Lebanese airspace until Nov. 4, citing a “potential risk to aviation from military activity.” — Mayen Jaymalin, Rudy Santos