No Filipino citizens were harmed by the pager and walkie-talkie bomb explosions targeting Hezbollah members across Lebanon, according to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Eduardo de Vega.
The unprecedented explosions resulted in 37 confirmed fatalities and over 3,000 injuries.
De Vega said that Lebanon is currently at alert level three, prompting the Philippine government to advise its citizens to consider returning home.
Potential raise in alert
“We’re going to renew our call for the Filipino community to consider going home due to the tension in the area,” he said.
He said they were awaiting the support from the embassy in Lebanon regarding a potential raise of the alert level to four, which would mandate an evacuation.
As of today, around 11,000 Filipinos remain in Lebanon, with approximately 500 already repatriated and another 1,000 planning to return to the Philippines.
De Vega noted that many Filipinos choose to stay despite the ongoing tensions for two main reasons: uncertainty about returning to Lebanon and the fact that many Filipinos, particularly those in Beirut and the North, continue to work and perceive the situation as normal, feeling that there is no war.