MANILA, Philippines — Even though over a thousand overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon have applied for repatriation, only 45 of them were ready to be repatriated, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Wednesday.
Over the weekend, a group of 15 Filipinos arrived in the Philippines from Lebanon following the tension between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israeli defense forces. Recent reports indicate that the situation is tense and could potentially escalate.
“Around a thousand had applied but 45 said they [were] ready to go home. We continue to monitor the situation. There are crisis plans that are in place and ready to be implemented should the situation worsen. But for now, the call is for our workers to come home,” DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said during the Malacañang Insider briefing.
Cacdac said that the DMW has been providing free repatriation services and onsite monitoring to protect OFWs in Lebanon. He mentioned that there are about 356 returnees so far.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has recently imposed an Alert Level 3 in Lebanon which means there is an absolute ban on deployment of workers and voluntary repatriation in the country.
Cacdac also said that the Philippine ambassador in Beirut issued an advisory asking Filipinos to go home.
According to Cacdac, the Philippines has also set up a shelter as part of its in-country evacuation strategy before eventually repatriating its citizens.
“So, we stand ready as directed by the President. Not just there, but even here – we will receive them in a whole-of-government team designated by the President to do so,” Cacdac said.
