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DFA urges families of Filipinos in Lebanon to convince loved ones to repatriate

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Pia Gutierrez

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<div><span data-teams="true" id="isPasted"><span dir="ltr"></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1727168561954AFP__20240917__36GK4KY__v2__Preview__LebanonIsraelPalestinianConflict.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A Lebanese army soldier gestures to an ambulance rushing wounded people to a hospital in Beirut on September 17, 2024, after explosions hit locations in several Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon amid ongoing cross-border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah fighters. Anwar Amro, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A Lebanese army soldier gestures to an ambulance rushing wounded people to a hospital in Beirut on September 17, 2024, after explosions hit locations in several Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon amid ongoing cross-border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah fighters. <em>Anwar Amro, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The Department of Foreign Affairs is urging families of Filipinos in Lebanon to convince their loved ones to volunteer for repatriation as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle Eastern country.</p><p>&quot;Yung mga kamag-anak, they should call their own relatives and force them to go home. it would be a big help if their relatives here in the Philippines mismo ang magkumbinse sa mga kamag-anak nila sa Lebanon to go home,&quot; Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Robert Ferrer said in a televised briefing.</p><p>(Relatives should call them and force them to go home. It would be a big help if their relatives in the Philippines themselves convince their relatives in Lebanon to go home.) </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/23/israel-warns-lebanese-as-wave-of-strikes-hits-hezbollah-1505">READ: Israel warns Lebanese as wave of strikes hits Hezbollah</a></div><p>The Department of Migrant Workers issued a separate call on Tuesday, renewing its appeal for overseas Filipino workers in Lebanon to evacuate the country, following the heightened tensions between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. </p><p>&quot;No less than the President has asked us to continuously monitor the situation and the plight of our OFWs there. Patuloy ang ating panawagan sa ating kababayan na mag-avail ng free and safe voluntary repatriation na inaatas sa atin ng ating Pangulo mula pa nung Oktubre last year,&quot; said DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac following their budget hearing at the Senate.</p><p>The Philippine government has repeatedly called on OFWs in Lebanon to leave immediately and come home amid unrelenting Israeli attacks that have so far killed 492 people.</p><p>However, many of the 10,000 Filipinos there are opposed to any mandatory evacuation by the government, the DFA official said.</p><p>So far, over 500 Filipinos have already returned to the Philippines, with over 1,000 more still being processed for return, according to Ferrer.</p><p>&quot;Wala namang nasaktan na Pilipino sa wave of attacks against Hezbollah targets in the past few days, but we still reiterate the call for all Filipinos in Leban to avail themselves of the government’s voluntary repatriation habang commercial flights are still available and the situation in Beirut is still stable,&quot; Ferrer  said.</p><p>(No Filipinos were hurt in the wave of attacks against Hezbollah targets in the past few days, but we still reiterate the call for all Filipinos in Lebanon to avail themselves of the government&#x27;s voluntary repatriation while commercial flights are still available and the situation in Beirut is still stable.) </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/23/hundreds-of-pinoys-in-lebanon-take-back-repatriation-request-despite-violence-1049">READ: Hundreds of Pinoys in Lebanon take back repatriation request despite violence</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/24/nearly-500-dead-in-israeli-strikes-on-hezbollah-strongholds-in-lebanon-945">READ: Nearly 500 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon</a></div><p>&quot;We cannot force our OFWs to go home. Nagconduct ng consultation si Ambassador Balatbat with the community leaders in Lebanon, and all of them are almost unanimous against any mandatory repatriation by the government,&quot; he added.</p><p>(Ambassador Balatbat has conducted a consultation with the community leaders in Lebanon and all of them are almost unanimous against any mandatory repatriation by the government.) </p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aBLJ_3qzkr4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>Ferrer assured that the Philippine Embassy in Beirut is assisting undocumented Filipinos with their immigration and visa issues before returning home to the Philippines.</div><p>&quot;The ambassador in Lebanon and his team are busy in taking care of those exit and immigration fees that they have to pay so that they can get out. Because of course if you are a Filipino working there you want to go back to Lebanon, right? When peace comes back. So hindi sya issue. Of the more than 1,000 Filipinos who have requested for repatriation, yung may immigration and visa issues they are being taken care of of the Embassy,&quot; he said.</p><p>Meanwhile, Cacdac told Senators there are no more OFWs in border towns, while less than a hundred are in the Southern part. Most of the OFWs in Lebanon are in the central part of Beirut, away from the center of the conflict.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re continually also reaching out to the Filipino communities in both Israel and Lebanon. Sa northern Israel, alam namin na nadala na to safer ground ng Israeli authorities, we&#x27;re thankful yung OFWs natin sa Northern Israel,&quot; he said.</p><p>Cadac said they are ready in case there is an influx of requests for repatriation.</p><p>&quot;The President since day one has given us the directive to be ready in terms of contingency plans and operations. Sanib pwersa with DFA and DMW OWWA, in country evacuation number one, number two yung shelters within Lebanon na kahanda. But of course the main objective is safe repatriation. So pati yung repatriation routes and measures ay nakahanda rin,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Augmentation team napadala na natin yun both in Israel and Lebanon, may augmentation teams na tayo sent,&quot; the DMW chief added.</p><p>Once they return home, the OFW will receive P150,000 from the DMW and OWWA, which they say is equal to about 4 to 6 months of their salary. </p><p>Returning OFWs will also receive assistance from the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/22/mourners-at-commanders-funeral-express-loyalty-to-hezbollah-059">READ: Mourners at commander&#x27;s funeral express loyalty to Hezbollah</a></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tORRsrZGfwE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Department of Foreign Affairs is urging families of Filipinos in Lebanon to convince their loved ones to volunteer for repatriation as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle Eastern country.</p>

The Department of Foreign Affairs is urging families of Filipinos in Lebanon to convince their loved ones to volunteer for repatriation as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle Eastern country.