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34 Filipinos from Gaza arrive in the PH, recount harrowing tales of war

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Johnson Manabat, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="DFA chief Manalo" s="" x="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/11/10/20231110-via-dfa-chief-manalo.jpg"/><figcaption>Thirty four Filipinos and one Palestinian from Gaza arrived in the Philippines on Friday. Photo from DFA chief Manalo&#x27;s X account</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (UPDATED) — Thirty four Filipinos and one Palestinian from Gaza arrived in the Philippines on Friday. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2870213" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>They are the first batch of Filipino repatriates who were able to cross Rafah Crossing in Egypt on Wednesday.The group arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 via Qatar Airways flight QR-932.Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said they are supposed to be 40 but six of them remained in Cairo, Egypt due to paperwork.“Anim ang naiwan sa Cairo, yung tatlo dahil may asawang Egyptian citizen at inaayos nilang maging residents dun imbes na bumalik ng Pilipinas, yung 3 naman made-delay yung pag-uwi nila kasi malapit na manganak yung misis,&quot; De Vega said.According to De Vega, most of the repatriates are children of Filipinas and Palestinian.<div>&#x27;WALANG-WALA NA&#x27;</div>One of the repatriates include 61-year-old Isabelita Vallejos-Balala who had been working in Gaza for the past 23 years.“Sa mga iniwan namin sa Gaza sobrang hirap talaga kasi lahat doon walang safe na mga tao, walang pagkain, walang tubig, wala lahat tapos hindi kami makalabas, sarado lahat so nahihirapan po kami. Hanggang sa nanginginig na lang kami. Dapat hindi pa sana ako uuwi, pero talagang ang sitwasyon walang-wala na, halos uubusin na lahat,” Balala told the media.Balala will now be with her family in Moncada, Tarlac and she has no plans of going back to Gaza or work abroad.“Gusto ko po sanang mag-stay muna at mag-focus sa pamilya ko at mag-konting negosyo para naman merong pagkakakitaan,” Balala added.Meanwhile, Minerva Sabah who is married to a Palestinian became emotional when she told her story.She left her husband in Gaza because he was not able to secure a clearance from the authorities there.“Mixed emotion, ako I’m happy at the same time sad kasi ang husband ko was there, hindi siya inaprubahan to come here. Happy ako kasi all of my children are here… Yung asawa ko nandon, assistant professor siya, yung anak ko she’s working sa government agency, yung anak ko eh nag-aaral pa siya. Hindi ko lang alam kung pagbalik ko nandun pa yung bahay namin,&quot; Sabah said.Lucina Sera Jose, on the other hand, was from Dubai but decided to visit her son and daughter-in-law in Gaza who was then about to give birth.Unfortunately, the war broke out on October 7, just a day after her daughter-in-law gave birth in Gaza. “Before October 6 kami ng family ko from Dubai nagpunta sa Gaza para umattend ng delivery ng daughter-in-law ko po. Nakapanganak naman siya October 6 so nasa ospital pa po siya nun nang October 7 biglang nagsabugan na. Hindi kami makalabas ng ospital nun kasi natatakot na kami. So dinischarged yung manugang ko without birth certificate. Wala pa ngang pangalan yung newborn na apo ko. Nakauwi naman kami safely pero nagkaroon naman ng postpartum blues yung manugang ko natatakot na siya kasi ayaw niyang makita yung baby niya na nakabalot, may dugo,” Sera Jose said.The Department of Foreign Affairs said they are also facilitating the second batch of repatriates who are expected to be in Cairo very soon.“May 42 patungong Cairo ngayon, baka nasa Cairo na at sila yung next batch na uuwi, yung second batch, yung 42 may isa ring OFW, itong OFW ay based in Kuwait na nagkataong nandon siya sa Gaza kaya naipit siya,” according to De Vega.De Vega also told the media that the Philippine government already gave each family of Filipino repatriates from Gaza $1,000 financial assistance. According to DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo who personally welcomed the Filipino repatriates, aside from the $1,000 financial aid, the Social Welfare Department also gave them additional P20,000 assistance upon arriving in the country.

They are the first batch of Filipino repatriates who were able to cross Rafah Crossing in Egypt on Wednesday.

34 Filipinos from Gaza arrive in the PH, recount harrowing tales of war

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34 Filipinos from Gaza arrive in the PH, recount harrowing tales of war

Johnson Manabat,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 11, 2023 01:47 AM PHT

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Updated November 11, 2023 09:01 PM PHT

Read More:

Israel

Palestine

Gaza

Gaza strip

Gaza City

war

conflict

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Israel Hamas war

Israel Palestine war

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