DFA, DOLE urged to rush repatriation of Filipinos in Afghanistan
Senator Francis Tolentino urged on Monday, August 16, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to immediately repatriate Filipinos in Afghanistan following Taliban's takeover of the country.

“As the humanitarian, political, and security crisis in Afghanistan continues to worsen, the need to immediately repatriate the remaining Filipinos in Afghanistan becomes even more urgent as each day passes,” Tolentino said in a statement.
The DFA has raised the Alert Level 4, the highest alert, as Taliban took control of the capital Kabul and other key cities. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani already fled the country.
There are around 130 Filipinos in Afghanistan, said the DFA. Over 30 Filipino were already evacuated and are awaiting their flights to the Philippines.
The government has ordered the mandatory repatriation of all Filipinos working in Afghanistan.
Tolentino pointed out that the DFA and the DOLE are mandated under Republic Act No. 8042, or the “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995,” to work together to ensure the protection of migrant workers and other Filipinos abroad, including their repatriation in emergency situations.
The law also provides that the protection and the promotion of the welfare of Filipino migrant workers shall be the highest priority concerns of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Philippine Foreign Service Posts.