More than 430 Filipinos are now out of war-stricken Ukraine, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola disclosed that as of March 29, a total of 434 Filipinos have been taken out of Ukraine.
Of this, 394 nationals have been repatriated while 40 individuals have been evacuated and are awaiting repatriation in various safe borders near Ukraine.
Among the latest batch of repatriates were the 30 seafarers from the war-torn country. They arrived in the Philippines in three separate occasions.
According to DFA, they are crew members of MV Ithaca Prospect, MV Filia Joy, and MV Nord Virgo.
Arriola said all of them were evacuated from Ukraine via Moldova through the efforts of the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Chisinau and the Philippine Embassy in Budapest, Hungary.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Budapest Frank Cimafranca said the evacuation of seafarers has become more challenging with heavy fighting.
“The evacuation of the seafarers was a big challenge because of the need for them to disembark the ship through small boats that would bring them safely to shore,” Cimafranca said.
To date, more than 350 seafarers have been safely repatriated, Arriola added.