Authorities from the Philippines have urged Filipinos in Ukraine to leave the country before mass transportation services such as trains come to a complete halt.
The authorities said Filipinos who are still in Ukraine are asked to leave the war-stricken country before the trains going to Lviv from Kyiv stop operating.
An official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated the appeal for evacuation.
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Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said that there are 116 Filipinos left in Ukraine, 45 of them are still in Kyiv while “a very few” are in other parts of Ukraine.
Arriola encouraged the people to immediately leave the country and be evacuated to the nearest safe border stating, “We are really asking them to please leave because the problem is the fighting is getting more intense and we’re afraid of is if the train stops operating, there’s no other way to get from Kyiv to Lviv. But we understand some can’t leave because they have their families there.”
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“That’s actually what we’re trying to avoid–for Filipinos to experience that (crossing borders on foot). That’s why we are using our diplomatic cover to be able to have them cross faster and safely. That’s why we are maintaining our presence in Lviv. The only way to get to Lviv is by train. There are no other means of transportation anymore,” she added.
To date, 19 Filipinos from Ukraine were already repatriated to the Philippines, 19 were evacuated to Poland on March 2, four were evacuated to Romania, 27 are in Moldova, 15 are in Hungary, and nine are in Austria while 21 seafarers, who are currently in Moldova, will arrive in the Philippines over the weekend.
