The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Sunday that none of the estimated 11,000 Filipinos in Lebanon has reported injuries following the air raids that resulted in the death of Shia cleric Hassan Nasrallah of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah on Saturday.
Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega stated that most overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Beirut opted not to accept government offers for repatriation last week. However, many have expressed panic after fighter jets unleashed dozens of bunker-busting bombs on buildings in the Dahieh suburb of Beirut.
The air strikes demolished at least six blocks in the Shia enclave, resulting in 33 fatalities, including Nasrallah and other Hezbollah leaders, while over 195 others sustained injuries.
OFWs are now urgently requesting the government to facilitate their evacuation, which was initially scheduled for September 26 but postponed due to the shutdown of Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport amidst ongoing hostilities.
Only 15 OFWs were set to take that flight, as noted by Undersecretary Felicitas Bay of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). They are now expected to return on October 3.
“The repatriation will be rescheduled for October 2, so our fellow citizens will arrive, barring unforeseen circumstances, on October 3,” Bay said during a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday, prior to the news of the air raid.
She reiterated the DMW’s encouragement for Filipinos in Lebanon to utilize the voluntary repatriation program and leave the country as tensions continue to escalate.
“There are over 11,000 Filipinos, along with their dependents, in Lebanon,” Bay noted, revealing that 1,100 individuals have expressed a desire to return home.
However, she acknowledged that some have withdrawn their requests.
“We have received information that some have registered but later indicated they are not pursuing their repatriation,” she added.
The DFA indicated on Friday that preparations were underway for the evacuation of Filipinos in Lebanon should the conflict intensify, prior to the recent air raids.
