61 OFWs set to arrive from Syria

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday said a new batch of Filipinos  from Syria are set to arrive in Manila on Saturday.

In a statement, the DFA said 61 Filipinos are set to arrive in Manila on Saturday at 9:15 a.m. aboard  Qatar Airways flight QR 648.

Upon their arrival, the number of repatriates from Syria will reach 3,692 individuals.

The repatriates underwent a medical check-up before leaving Damascus and were all declared fit to travel. They were then brought by the personnel of the Embassy in Damascus to the Syria-Lebanon border on March 07 on board several chartered buses.

The Philippine Embassy in Beirut made representations with Lebanese Immigration authorities to facilitate the repatriates’ entry into Lebanese territory through the Masna’a border crossing. 

On March 8, the repatriates proceeded to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport where they took a Qatar Airways flight to Doha, Qatar and then another flight to Manila.

They will be assisted during their five-hour layover at Doha Airport by Philippine Embassy personnel in that country.

The DFA continues to urge all Filipinos who are still in Syria to seek immediate repatriation to avoid being caught in the escalating violence. For assistance, the Embassy in Damascus may be reached at 963-11-6132626.

The relatives of Filipinos in Syria may also provide the DFA with up-to-date information regarding their loved ones’ current location and contact details in Syria. Those who wish to do so may call the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) at (02)834-4583 or 834-3240 or the DFA’s 24-hour Action Center at (02) 834-3333.