DAVAO CITY — Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao Leo Tereso Magno on Wednesday stressed that he is closely coordinating with the Department of Migrant Workers to ensure the safety and security of overseas Filipino workers trapped in the ongoing fighting between Israel and Palestine.

After Saturday's attack, Magno said he got in touch with DMW Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones to determine the number of OFWs in the Eastern Mindanao that's currently working in Israel.

Based on the DMW record from 2021 to August 2023 alone, there are 5,243 OFWs deployed in Israel of which 138 are from Mindanao. Of the 138 OFWs, 122 are from Regions 10, 11, 12 and 13.
The Department of Foreign Affairs — based on their 2021 data — said that there are 26,558 Filipinos living in Israel including permanent, documented, undocumented Filipino migrants and OFWs.