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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DFA: 356 Pinoys return from Lebanon; 700 still awaiting repatriation

DFA: 356 Pinoys return from Lebanon; 700 still awaiting repatriation

Published Aug 18, 2024 06:04 am

Some 700 Filipinos are still awaiting repatriation from Lebanon amid the escalating tensions there between Hezbollah and Israel, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Sunday, Aug. 18.

Lebanon.jpgPeople gather near a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. An Israeli airstrike hit Hezbollah's stronghold south of Beirut Tuesday evening causing damage, a Hezbollah official and the group's TV station said. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)


In an interview on dzBB, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega shared that 356 Filipinos out of the 1,000 who expressed their intentions to come home have already returned to the Philippines.

There are over 11,000 Filipinos all over Lebanon, some of them are undocumented.

“Hindi pa masyadong interesado ang mga Pilipino na umalis, na lumikas kaya nga malakas iyong panawagan ng ating embahada (Filipinos are not yet interested to leave so the embassy is making a call),” the DFA official said.

He added that they expect only around 1,000 Filipinos to want to go home, but they want to convince more to come back.

De Vega revealed that the 700 who are still awaiting repatriation are undocumented workers or those who have just arrived in Lebanon and haven’t stayed for more than two years.

Under a voluntary repatriation, an exit visa is required, while the airfare is shouldered by the government.

On Saturday, Aug. 17, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon asked Filipinos there to leave the country while the airport remains open.

However, if they could not leave Lebanon, Filipinos were advised to evacuate to “safer areas outside of Beirut, South Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley.”

The latest Israeli attack on southern Lebanon has killed nine people.

De Vega explained that most Filipinos in Beirut feel “safe” because missiles have not hit Lebanon’s capital.

But he stressed that the Philippine government wouldn’t want Filipinos to be caught anymore in the crossfire between Lebanon-based and Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

The DFA official assured that there are no more Filipinos situated on Lebanon's border with Israel, but that there are still less than 100 Filipinos in areas located in southern Lebanon.

The attacks on Saturday (Manila time) that killed nine people came as Hezbollah traded fire with Israel almost on a daily basis since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Hezbollah is an ally of Palestinian group Hamas, which is under fire in Gaza amid Israel’s retaliation.

But fears of a major escalation between Israel and Hezbollah skyrocketed last month after an Israeli strike killed Fuad Shukr, one of Hezbollah's top commanders, in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

This came hours after an attack in Tehran killed Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh. The Tehran attack was blamed on Israel.

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