DFA chief flies to Syria for repatriation of 1,000 OFWs

MANILA, Philippines – Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario left for Syria Monday to speed up the repatriation of more than 1,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) trying to escape the increasing violence there.

“We were given a clear mandate by the President to ensure the safety and welfare of Filipinos in Syria. We want to facilitate the immediate repatriation of as many Filipinos as possible,” Del Rosario said in a statement yesterday.

He was accompanied by DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis.

Some of the obstacles the government faced until recently was having to pay refunds to Syrian employers for unfinished contracts and fees levied by the Syrian government.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said yesterday that the Philippine government has now obtained waivers from employers.

Hernandez said a rapid response team from the Philippine embassy in Damascus composed of personnel from the DFA, Department of Labor and Employment, and Interior and Local Government, is helping extract Filipinos from conflict areas.

The DFA said at least 300 Filipinos are being sheltered in the embassy’s halfway house ready to be repatriated. At least 26 repatriates are expected to arrive in Manila today.

More than 2,100 Filipino workers were repatriated by the government since last March.

In April and December last year, Del Rosario went to Damascus to seek the assistance of the Syrian government in looking after Filipino workers affected by the rising tension there.

Seguis also embarked on a similar mission to Syria last July. His efforts resulted in the granting of exit visas and the waiver of penalties and fees for 140 Filipinos who returned home recently. – With AP