At least 63 Filipinos will be repatriated from Haiti amid the ongoing conflict in the Caribbean country due to violent gang activities, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.
In a statement, the DMW said it has coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which in turn, approved the recommendation on the declaration of Alert Level 3, or the voluntary repatriation for Filipinos in Haiti.
“The DFA, DMW, and OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) are now looking to charter a flight for the 63 Filipinos since no flights are coming out of Haiti, and land travel to the capital Port-au-Prince is also discouraged,” the statement read.
Haiti is currently experiencing a breakdown of law and order, with reports of civilian casualties and disruption in operations.
There are 115 Filipinos currently in the Caribbean island nation and amid the ongoing conflict in Haiti, the DMW said there is no report of any Filipino affected or injured by the ongoing security crisis.
But it said they are awaiting confirmation on whether or not the rest will agree to be repatriated.
Currently, the DMW said the Philippine Embassy in Washington is closely coordinating with the Philippine Honorary Consul General in Haiti, Fitzgerald Oliver James Brandt, and Filipino community leader Bernadette Villagracia regarding the planned repatriation of Filipinos in Haiti.