The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday said it is preparing for the mass repatriation of overseas Filipino workers from Lebanon amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
According to DFA Assistant Secretary Robert Ferrer, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon has been coordinating with the Filipino community for the possible repatriation of more than 11,000 Filipinos.
“Our embassy there, led by Ambassador Raymond Balatbat, a veteran diplomat, has been coordinating with the Filipino community in taking the steps necessary to initiate a mass repatriation in case the need arises, the violence multiplies and it starts affecting the neighborhoods where there are Filipinos,” Ferrer said in a radio interview.
In a separate interview, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega confirmed the plan of the department but did not divulge any details.
De Vega, however, expressed apprehension about the plan as “it might in the end not be necessary.”
“[B]ut we are acting as if it would eventually be necessary to mass repatriate our citizens from Lebanon,” he told DAILY TRIBUNE in a text message.
“So preparations are being made and the embassy is regularly meeting the Filipino community about this. Suffice it to say that the embassy is working on it,” he added.
De Vega said the department is not keen on elevating the alert level in Lebanon despite the ongoing missile strikes by Israel in southern Lebanon.
“None yet as the Filipinos themselves are opposed to it,” he said when asked about the possibility of raising the alert level in Lebanon.
Alert Level 4 is raised when there is a large-scale internal conflict or full-blown external attack. Under this alert level, the Philippine government undertakes mandatory evacuation procedures.
So far, according to De Vega, no Filipino nationals have been victims of the attacks in Lebanon.
He noted that since the hostilities in Israel and Gaza began in October last year, a total of 506 Filipinos had left Lebanon, with 1,247 Filipinos processing their repatriation as of Wednesday.
Israel is on its third day of airstrikes on southern Lebanon, where more than 560 people have been killed, including a top Hezbollah commander.
For its part, Hezbollah has retaliated by launching dozens of rockets into Israel, targeting an explosives factory and sending families to bomb shelters.