The Philippine authorities have begun the repatriation of 37 Filipinos from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the eastern European country.
The Filipinos were transported out of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv to the western city of Lviv.
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Philippine Ambassador to Poland Leah Basinang-Ruiz received them in Lviv. However some Filipinos refused to leave Ukraine amid Russian invasion.
Meanwhile, the Philippine military is on standby to assist the ongoing government efforts to repatriate Filipinos in Ukraine.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said they are closely monitoring the Russia-Ukraine crisis and view the developments with “utmost concern.”
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“We are monitoring the situation closely and are standing by to assist our other government agencies led by the Department of Foreign Affairs in repatriating our citizens from Ukraine, if and when we are called upon to do so. We hope that the situation does not escalate beyond what can still be resolved through diplomacy and the international rules-based order,” Lorenzana said.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said 181 of the more than 300 Filipinos in Ukraine have been accounted for after they coordinated with the Philippine embassies to report their whereabouts amid the crisis.
