The Philippines abstained from voting in favor of a United Nations resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas because it did not address the terrorist acts committed by the latter.

Thus, said Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Eduardo de Vega of the Department of Foreign Affairs over the weekend.

De Vega said the omission of the dastardly acts of Hamas, which left more than 1,400 Israelis and four Filipinos dead, was very telling.

In an exclusive interview with DAILY TRIBUNE editors last week, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss slammed what he described as the long-standing anti-Israel bias of the UN.

"The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on the situation in Gaza which the Philippines could not fully support as there was no mention of the facts of the 7 October attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of many civilians, including four Filipinos," De Vega told this paper.

"The Resolution as worded contained many elements that we do support, such as the urgency for access to humanitarian assistance to Gaza and for all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law," he added.

"But for the Philippines to have voted for a Resolution which simply condemns Israeli actions without mentioning how this situation was precipitated by an attack on Israel, which even caused the lives of Filipinos, would be to dishonor the memory of our murdered citizens," De Vega said.

On Friday (New York time), at least 120 nations voted in favor of the Jordan-led resolution that called for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas. The resolution also called for unhindered aid access to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Trip.

The Philippines and 45 other countries, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, India and Canada, abstained from voting. Only 14 nations — including Israel and the United States — voted against the motion.

De Vega said the Philippines would have voted for a humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas had the proposed Canadian amendment been carried.

The proposed amendment of Canada in the UN resolution specifically called out Hamas for carrying out the 7 October surprise attack in Israel. The amendment, however, failed to garner enough votes as only 88 nations voted in its favor.

De Vega said despite abstaining from the UN resolution, the Philippines remains "in solidarity with the global community in calling for swift action to address this crisis and put an end to the alarming deaths and human suffering occurring in Israel and Gaza."

Meanwhile, De Vega said the government has not received demands from Hamas for the release of two missing Filipinos presumed to have been kidnapped by the terrorist group.

"There are no Hamas demands upon the government. That is partly why we cannot confirm that the two have been taken hostage," De Vega told Daily Tribune.

Citing the Israeli government, news agency Reuters reported last week that the two Filipinos, who were previously tagged as missing, were among the estimated 220 hostages being held by Hamas.

De Vega clarified that the Israeli government "did not exactly say they were definitely taken but that they were 'most likely' taken."

"There is no sign of them in Israel," he said. "The Israelis may have their own inside information."

He added that the Philippine government is in coordination with all parties that could assist with the safe return of the two missing Filipinos.

"We are working on the assumption that they may be hostages," he said. "We are talking to all parties that may be of help."