MANILA — Several Filipino-Palestinians who were repatriated to the Philippines are looking for ways to learn Filipino to speed up their assimilation to Philippine society.

Annel Abutawilah, one of the Filipinas who were repatriated to the country along with their Palestinian spouses and children, said learning the local language is important for her, her 7 children and her 5 grandchildren.

“Gusto nga sana namin na ma-ano (matutunan) muna ay yung Tagalog… matuto sila na magsalita ng Tagalog kahit kaunti para madali lang sila maka-ano sa mga community dito,” she told ABS-CBN News.

“Siyempre mahihirapan sila magtrabaho,” she said.

Abutawilah said her two eldest children are Chemistry and Communication graduates, while 2 others set to graduate from IT and engineering courses before the war broke out in Gaza.

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“Gusto nila matapos sana kasi 3rd year college na sila. Kung papayagan ng government natin, ng school, ng college, sana puwede nilang i-continue yung kinuha nilang course,” she said.

“Marunong sila mag-intindi ng English kaya lang hindi sila nakakapag-practice so para bang takot sila, pero marunong sila mag-English,” she said.

There are also concerns for Filipino-Palestinan youngsters who had to abruptly stop their primary and secondary education, said Abutawilah, who has 8 minors in her family.

“Hindi din namin alam saan ilalagay ang mga bata namin,” she said.

“Sana tulungan nila kaming mga may anak na maliliit kasi yung talaga nawala yung ano nila, kumbaga yung level nila poor na talaga,” she said.

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So far, there are about 60 individuals who were repatriated from Palestine who are temporarily staying in the University of the Philippines (UP), according to Gina Cambrineo, officer in charge of the UP Refugee Center.

The state university has been coordinating with several government offices and private agencies to find housing for these families who were urged to leave war-torn Gaza, she told ABS-CBN News.

Government officials have also promised to schedule face-to-face dialogues with the repatriated families who are in need of permanent housing to discuss how they can rebuild their lives and livelihoods here, she said.

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