The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday, Oct. 9, said it is prepared to provide assistance to Filipinos who would be repatriated as a result of the ongoing armed conflict in Israel.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the BI will be coordinating wil the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on schedules for possible repatriations.
Unconfirmred reports stated that 22 foreign workers from the Philippines and Thailand have been killed while seven other have been kidnapped by the Hamas militants.
“The safety of our 'kababayans' is a top priority for the government. The BI will do what it can to extend assistance to agencies involved in repatriation of Filipinos,” Tansingco said in a statement.
“Should they come in special flights, we will have a dedicated team to process their documents immediately upon arrival,” he said.
While no schedules of repatriation have been coordinated with the BI, he said the bureau will closely monitor updates from DFA and DMW, he added.