President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the immediate repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the ongoing tension in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon.

In a television interview on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said Marcos ordered the repatriation of the OFWs during his virtual meeting with the Cabinet on the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, Laos.

“We government officials briefed the President earlier because we are exploring all options, including the possibility of chartering a flight and deploying C-130 aircraft. All options are being considered to determine the best option,” De Vega said.

According to him, one of the options is to transport the OFWs to a neighboring European country from where they will be flown to the Philippines.

Based on data provided by Lebanese immigration officials to the Philippine Embassy in Beirut, there are 11,000 OFWs in the Middle Eastern country.