A Manila-based migration consultant on Tuesday thanked the United States for bringing to safety the 32 Filipinos who were airlifted out of Kabul in the middle of chaos just as the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital.

According to Emmanuel Geslani, the 32 Filipinos were reportedly part of about 500 US Embassy staff members extricated from the Embassy by Chinook helicopters on Sunday.

From there, all the US embassy staff - including the OFWs -boarded a C-17 cargo plane that flew them to the US Airbase in Doha, said Geslani, who claims to be in touch with some of the 32 Filipinos.

Amid the chaotic situation brought by the collapse of the Afghan government and the take over of the Taliban, all commercial flights at the Kabul International Airport were suspended.

“DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) has no capability to evacuate OFWs last Sunday, only the US military,” Geslani told the Manila Bulletin in a text message.

Reached out for comment, DFA Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy Eduardo Meñez admitted that the 32 Filipinos were evacuated out of Afghanistan without help from the Philippine government.

“The 32 were repatriated without PH assistance but with our knowledge,” Meñez said. “I will need to check if they were US embassy employees.”

The Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, which has jurisdiction over Afghanistan, is now making arrangements to evacuate around 80 other Filipinos who have signed up for the government’s evacuation plan.

Meñez said the DFA is working non-stop to explore all options to ensure the safety and welfare of the remaining Filipinos in Afghanistan in the face of the volatile situation.

“We seek your patience as we try to accomplish this sensitive mission,” the DFA official said.

As to the actual number of Filipinos remaining in Afghanistan, Geslani said the Samahan ng mga Pilipino sa Afghanistan (SPA) has a total of 175 enlisted members, including the 32 who are now in Qatar.