The Philippine government said Monday it is ready to bring home distressed Filipinos in Lebanon amid the increasing tensions in the country. Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised the alert level in Lebanon to level 3, prompting the voluntary repatriation of Filipinos.

In an interview with Palace reporters, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the government is ready to repatriate Filipinos in Lebanon even if many are still undecided about whether to leave.

“All of them are still in the process of discerning or deciding, but the call of the [Philippine] ambassador [in Lebanon] over the weekend really was to tell them, ‘Please decide to come home,’” he said.

Cacdac assured the public that both documented and undocumented Filipinos are covered by the repatriation program if they choose to avail of it. “We serve everybody, documented or undocumented.”

“The whole I describe refers to a person, whether documented or undocumented. We have no distinction; we will help them all,” Cacdac stressed.