DFA: 21 OFWs to arrive from Syria

MANILA, Philippines - The first batch of repatriates from Syria this year are scheduled to leave Damascus today, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The DFA said 21 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be brought by bus by the personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Damascus to the Syrian-Lebanese border by bus.

"The personnel of the Embassy in Beirut will be at the border crossing to assist the group with immigration formalities. They will then be brought to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport for their flight to Abu Dhabi," The DFA said in a statement.

The agency said the number of Filipinos repatriated from Syria will reach 5,137 upon the arrival in Manila of the latest batch.

Of this number, 2,112 were repatriated through Lebanon with the assistance and support of the Embassy in Beirut.

The DFA said that according to the Embassy in Damascus, there are still an estimated 2,600 Filipinos living in different parts of Syria.

This estimated figure is based on the Embassy in Damascus’ Database and the List of the Syrian Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.

The DFA said the Embassy in Damascus stopped using the Damascus International Airport when clashes between the Syrian Army and rebel forces intensified in Eastern Ghouta in December 2012.

The agency is appealing to all Filipinos whose relatives are still in Syria to contact the following offices and provide the names of Filipinos and their contact numbers and, if possible, the names of employers and their contact numbers.

Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs - (02)834-3240, (02)834-4583
Philippine Embassy in Damascus - +963-116132626, +963-949155557