A migration consultant said that most of the 80 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kabul have left Afghanistan and are now safe in different countries waiting for repatriation by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
In a report to migration consultant Emmanuel Geslani, about 60 Filipinos have been accounted for as of August 21. The information supposedly came from a former OFW who worked in Kabul and remained in communications with the Filipinos in the Afghan capital.
Of the said figure, 30 were flown into Islamabad by Pakistan Airways on tickets purchased by the Philippine Embassy in Pakistan. They arrived there on August 20 and were now waiting for repatriation.
Eighteen OFWs went to different cities in the United Kingdom including England, Birmingham, Northampton, and Swindon.
The report said that Glenn Gumpal, president of the Filipino community group Samahang Pilipino sa Afghanistan (SPA), arrived in Birmingham with five OFWs early this week.
Five other Filipino women were reported to be staying in Northampton with the OFWs. Another five were said to be staying in Oxford.
The OFWs were quarantined in their hotels and have contacted the Philippine Embassy in London who will try to shorten their quarantine periods and arrange for plane tickets for Manila.
Meanwhile, eight OFWs from Kabul were staying at a US facility in Doha, Qatar, and might be able to fly to Manila on August 21.
The DFA earlier reported that five OFWs were in Indonesia after boarding an Indonesian Military Plane upon the request of their Indonesian employer.
There were also reports that some OFWs were in Armenia but there was no communication from them.
Early this week, the DFA said it was working to secure the safe passage of Filipinos and making other forms of coordination as needed to overcome challenges posed by the "uncertain situation" following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.