Philippine labor authorities are preparing the government’s repatriation plan due to the escalating violence between Israel and Gaza.
Israel Labor Attaché Rodolfo Gabasan said that Filipinos are traumatized over the increasing violence in coastal southern cities.
No Filipinos have been reported hurt due to the airstrikes.
“Sa tindi ng mga sunod-sunod na pagsabog, marami sa ating mga Pilipino ‘yung nato-trauma,” Gabasan said.
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“Tayong mga Pilipino hindi naman tayo sanay na may sumasabog. Yung mga pumuputok na ‘yon na tunay na makakamatay, ‘yun ang trauma,” he added.
Around 300 Filipinos are staying in Ashdod and Ashkelon that are being targeted by the worst rocket attacks from Hamas, an Islamist militant group based in Gaza.
A crisis team has been formed in Israel and Filipinos in the two cities will be prioritized for the possible repatriation.
“Sila ang ipaprioritize kung mag-escalate ang situation to a war. We have to evacuate them to a safer place,” said the labor attaché.
Some 100 Filipinos are willing to be rescued from the cities.
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Around 10 Filipinos in Gaza need to be rescued more urgently amid worse attacks in the territory as the Israeli military retaliates.
Filipino authorities have already coordinated with churches in Tel Aviv and the hotel association in Israel for possible evacuation sites.
Israel is still under Alerl Level 1 and repatriation is not yet mandatory.
“We just like to assure them, if anything, if they need to be extracted in their place, handa kami dyan,” Gabasan said. (TDT)
