The deputy head of Israel’s agency for international development cooperation clarified that the 17 Filipino officials are not stranded in Israel and that they are expected to be back in the Philippines this week.

In a Radyo Pilipinas interview, MASHAV Deputy Head Ambassador Irit Savion Waidergorn said that “stranded is not the situation at all.”

“May I start that the group is in Israel, the delegates are in Israel by invitation of the government of Israel, hosted by the government of Israel, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is part of a program for mayors and high officials and local authorities in different fields that we invited to a training program by MASHAV,” she explained amid circulating media reports about the presence of local officials in Israel while there’s an ongoing conflict with Iran.

“Stranded is totally not the word. They are safe. They are okay. They are with our teams,” she added.

The diplomat assured that an Israeli team is with the Filipino delegates on the ground and they have been briefed as to the location of the safe room, where they can take shelter.

Waidergorn also shared that there’s an existing mobile application in Israel where users “get the alerts for the sirens, for the attacks 10 minutes before they can walk safely to where they are safe.”

“They (Filipinos) are guests of the government of Israel, and our guests are treated like family. That's the way they're being treated, and that's the treatment they're being receiving. As long as they're in Israel, that's the only way,” she emphasized.

The Israeli Embassy in Manila on Wednesday, June 18, also clarified that the delegation of local government units (LGUs) from the Philippines currently in Israel was participating in a “study visit and training program.”

“This initiative, focused on the exchange of experiences and best practices, is conducted in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel in Manila and is sponsored by MASHAV – the Israeli agency for international development cooperation,” the embassy added.

Waidergorn furthered that the Filipino delegates were in Israel for an official trip and to take part in an exhibition—the Muni Expo—that was scheduled to take place this week.

“It's the largest exhibition in Israel on municipal issues, and there were many, many, many more delegates from around the world and other countries in Israel this week,” she shared.

In fact, Waidergorn disclosed that the delegates are still staying in a hotel in a training center of MASHAV, and that “all their needs are being catered.”

“We even continue a little bit the programs, the lectures, that they will not be bored the whole day, and other activities,” she stressed.

Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ian Fluss told some Philippine media on Tuesday, June 17, that there were a total of 22 Filipino officials—17 mayors and local government representatives and the rest from the dairy industry—currently in Israel as the exchange of strikes between Tel Aviv and Tehran continues.

But the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) later clarified there were 21 Filipino officials, among them included nine mayors, four vice mayors, two partylist representatives, and two regional directors, whose identities were withheld for their privacy. They were joined by four Department of Agriculture (DA) officials.

The agricultural technology training started on June 10 and was supposed to end by June 20.

Waidergorn assured that the Israeli government is “working very, very hard to find a path to enable them to leave Israel as we understand how they feel and the different situation for them.”

“Israel is our home, and the Philippines is their home, and they want to go back here. The government of Israel and Mashav, we're doing everything to arrange a path for them to leave as soon as possible,” he added.

The official shared that the Filipino delegates are expected to start their travel back to the Philippines either today, Wednesday, or tomorrow, Thursday, or “as soon as possible.”

The expenses for their land travel via Jordan or to another country will be “fully covered by the government of Israel.”

According to the DFA, the Filipino officials will travel to Jordan where they will  take a flight going back to Manila this weekend since the airspace in Israel is closed for the time being.

“That's the plan, and I hope you'll hear from them as soon as possible from the Philippines,” Waidergorn said.