As the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the death of a fourth Filipino in the Israeli-Hamas conflict, an agency official confirmed to DAILY TRIBUNE on Thursday a plan by the government to raise Alert Level 3 in Lebanon.
In an interview on this paper's digital show Usapang OFW, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said the Philippines is also preparing to secure its nationals in Lebanon, where the militant Hezbollah group has traded artillery and rocket fire with the Israel Defense Forces on Lebanon's southern border.
Over a dozen Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah fighters have been reported killed since the latter conducted "sympathy" strikes on the border last week to show solidarity with Hamas.
4th Filipino death confirmed
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo confirmed the death of a fourth Filipino from the Israel-Hamas war.
"I regret to inform the nation that we have received confirmation from the Israeli government of another Filipino casualty," Manalo said in a tweet.
The victim's family had asked the government to withhold the identity of their loved one, Manalo said. "But we have assured the family of the government's full support and assistance,"he added.
In a separate briefing, De Vega said the latest Filipino fatality was a caregiver in Israel. He said she was "most likely" killed during the 7 October surprise attack by Hamas on Israel and was one of the three Filipinos who were unaccounted for.
"We cannot confirm if she was abducted first and then killed, but it was because of the Hamas attack," he said. "She was one of the three missing Filipinos that we were hoping to find. So that means four casualties now and two missing," he added.
The three Filipinos killed since Hamas attacked Israel last week were Loreta Alacre, Angeline Aguirre, and Paul Vincent Castelvi. Alacre and Castelvi were caregivers, while Aguirre was a nurse.
The DFA said the repatriation of the remains of the Filipino casualties was still being processed. Castelvi's remains will be cremated in Israel before its repatriation next month.
De Vega said no Filipinos have been killed in the Gaza Strip, including in the hospital bombing that reportedly left at least 500 civilians dead.
"So far, there have been no Filipinos killed in Gaza. No casualties yet, and we're not hoping for any," he said.
There are almost 30,000 Filipinos who consider Israel their second home. Most work in the caregiving, hospitality, engineering, and healthcare industries.
On the other side, there are 135 Filipinos in Hamas-controlled Gaza. Many are stranded at the Rafah crossing, the only exit from the war-torn Gaza Strip into Egypt. De Vega said the government is "prepared" should Egypt open the border and start accepting foreign nationals.
He said the border may be opened "by the end of today, Israeli time, or tomorrow." Of the 135 Filipinos in Gaza, at least 70 have expressed their intent to return to the Philippines.
Lebanon preparations
"We are also thinking — we will announce it soon — to raise the alert level in Lebanon, meaning we will offer voluntary repatriation for our Filipinos because the war may reach there," De Vega said.
He noted that the 67 Filipinos in southern Lebanon, which is controlled by the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, were advised to leave the area and find a safer place.
"They are now moving to a safer place or where there is no danger. But we are checking on them because we have a contingency plan in place," De Vega said.
Earlier this week, at least five Hezbollah fighters were killed in a series of low-level skirmishes with Israel.
De Vega said there are 3,000 Filipinos in Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia has urged its nationals to leave that country, that could become a second front in the Israel-Hamas conflict as Hezbollah supports Hamas (See related story).
Earlier, Kuwait advised its citizens to defer any travel to Lebanon.
Britain's PM visits
Meanwhile, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Israel and said the Jewish nation had suffered an "unspeakable horrific act of terrorism" as he became the latest Western leader to conduct a solidarity visit.
"I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you," Sunak said on his arrival for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
Sunak said on X, the former Twitter, that Israel was "a nation in grief" and pledged his support "against the evil that is terrorism."
He followed US President Joe Biden, who was in Israel on Wednesday, and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this week. Other leaders are expected to come to Israel.
Before leaving, Sunak said he would concentrate on efforts to head off a wider regional conflict. Israel has said it will allow food, water, and medicine into the beleaguered territory from Egypt.
In Manila, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss underscored to DAILY TRIBUNE the importance of Biden's visit, describing it as the first by an American president during a war. "His message," Fluss said, "was loud and clear — we are with you."
"President Biden elaborated on the atrocities committed by Hamas. He met and comforted the mourning families of the victims. More than 1,400 innocent Israelis were killed, including at least 31 American citizens, by the terrorist group Hamas. Israel and the United States of America share the same challenges.
"President Biden reminded the world that during the holocaust, no one stood in support of the Jews. This will never happen again; America will always stand with Israel as the homeland and safe place for the Jews," Fluss said.
He said Biden also expressed his concern for the more than 199 hostages of Hamas and hopes for their release.
Call for protection of Pinoys
Also on Thursday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. left for Saudi Arabia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Summit in Riyadh, where he is expected to call for better protection for Filipinos working in Middle East countries.
Marcos' trip to Saudi Arabia comes as the government prepares for the possible mass repatriation of OFWs from the troubled region, specifically from Israel, Palestinian-controlled Gaza and Lebanon.
To recall, Lebanon joined Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria in engaging Israel in the latter's so-called War of Independence upon the United Nations-sanctioned creation in 1948 of a Jewish state carved out of Palestine. In Israel's 2006 war with Lebanon, Filipino workers had to be evacuated and repatriated to escape the fighting.
Meanwhile, Basilan lawmaker Mujiv Hataman pressed his peers in Congress and the Marcos administration to push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
"I believe this august body can encourage governments, including our own, to take a strong position against the continuing violence against innocent civilians caught in the crossfire," Hataman said.
The whole world is witnessing the effects of the violence in the Israel-Hamas conflict, especially the deaths and injuries of innocent civilians, including children, women, and the elderly. We call for an end to this cycle and a more peaceful way of addressing the root causes of the war," the former governor of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said.
With AFP