The Philippine government is having difficulty convincing Filipinos in Lebanon to be repatriated despite start of Tel Aviv's continued bombardment on the country, stoking fear of a regional tension.
It was not only with Palestine-based Hamas that Israel is in conflict.
Currently, the Jewish state is fighting two more rebel groups: the Yemen-based Houthis and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, who are both sympathizers of the Palestinian people.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Embassy in Beirut have already advised the 11,000 Filipinos in Lebanon to avail of the repatriation being offered by the government; but only a handful wants to leave the country.
"They will only decide to leave when the situation is so bad, when the war is at their doorsteps, saka lang magpapa-repatriate (they will only ask for repatriation)," Philippine Ambassador in Lebanon Raymond Balatbat said in a press briefing.
From a thousand who initially applied for repatriation, only half want to push through after the remaining withdrew their application.
"The mentality is they (would) rather take their chances here than go home," Balatbat said.
According to him, most of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are refusing to go home are "the old timers," who have been through various wars.
They are saying that "they've seen it all and they survived. There's also an "element of loyalty to their employers," added Balatbat.
"Lagi naman nilang sinasabi sakin, 'nandyan naman si madam.' So, wala silang takot (They would always tell me that their employers are there for them. So they do not have any fear)," Balatbat said.
For Filipinos abroad, they think that "it's better to die in war than to die in hunger in the Philippines," added DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega.
In mid-September, Israel started launching airstrikes and drone strikes on Lebanon as retaliation to Hezbollah's attack on the Jewish state, so far killing about 1,200 people.
The explosions predominantly occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut, South Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley, where there were about 196 Filipinos, according to the embassy.
No less than United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that Lebanon might be the next Gaza as Israel's attack continues.
"Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon—the people of Israel—and the people of the world—cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza," Guterres said.
The Philippine embassy encouraged Filipinos to consider leaving Lebanon while commercial flights remain accessible.
Currently, an increasing number of commercial flights are cancelling their operations in Lebanon; and the Philippine embassy has only been able to secure flights out of Lebanon from October 2 to 8.
Balatbat said they already advised Filipinos to "just be ready in the event of a mass evacuation."
He said that the Philippine government would finally demand a mandatory repatriation of Filipinos once there's already a land invasion from Israel.
"Filipinos know what's happening here and they're alert. They're constantly monitoring the situation. Of course, there's uncertainty. Everyone wants this conflict to stop," he added.