The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is urging families of Filipinos in Lebanon to convince their loved ones to volunteer for repatriation as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle Eastern country.
“Yung mga kamag-anak, they should call their own relatives and force them to go home. it would be a big help if their relatives here in the Philippines mismo ang magkumbinse sa mga kamag-anak nila sa Lebanon to go home,” Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Robert Ferrer said in a televised briefing.
The Department of Migrant Workers issued a separate call on Tuesday, renewing its appeal for overseas Filipino workers in Lebanon to evacuate the country.
“No less than the President has asked us to continuously monitor the situation and the plight of our OFWs there. Patuloy ang ating panawagan sa ating kababayan na mag-avail ng free and safe voluntary repatriation na inaatas sa atin ng ating Pangulo mula pa nung Oktubre last year,” said DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac following their budget hearing at the Senate.
The Philippine government has repeatedly called on OFWs in Lebanon to leave immediately and come home.
However, many of the 10,000 Filipinos there are opposed to any mandatory evacuation by the government, the DFA official said.
So far, over 500 Filipinos have already returned to the Philippines, with over 1,000 more still being processed for return, according to Ferrer.
“Wala namang nasaktan na Pilipino sa wave of attacks against Hezbollah targets in the past few days, but we still reiterate the call for all Filipinos in Lebanon to avail themselves of the government’s voluntary repatriation habang commercial flights are still available and the situation in Beirut is still stable,” Ferrer said.
