Phl gov’t prepares for evacuation of Pinoys in Gaza

MANILA, Philippines - Although no Filipinos in the Gaza Strip and Israel have asked to be repatriated following a fresh wave of rocket attacks and airstrikes, the Philippine government has sent two Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to prepare for possible evacuation of those who may be in danger, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said the two teams were set to leave yesterday for Israel and Egypt to augment the personnel in the Philippine embassies in Tel Aviv and Cairo.

Hernandez said the teams would also help in the mapping operation being done by these embassies in locating the Filipinos in Gaza and to prepare for possible evacuation.

“We are sending two Rapid Response Teams to Israel and Egypt. We wanted to be proactive and not be caught flat-footed when the time comes for moving them out and taking them out of harm’s way. That’s why the President has decided to send the RRTs today to those two areas,” he said in a press briefing.

The deployment of the two RRTs, he said, is an implementation by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario of the instructions from President Aquino.

“They will be there for sometime until the situation stabilizes, but mostly they are there to help out the 100 plus Filipinos who are in the Gaza Strip as well as those Filipinos in the Israel side who may be at risk because of the exchange of fire,” he said.

The team for Egypt is headed by DFA Office of Migrant Workers’ Affairs executive director Ricardo Endaya while the contingent for Israel is led by DFA Assistant Secretary Petronila Garcia.

Each group is composed of officials from the DFA, Departments of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Interior and Local Government (DILG), who were referred to the DFA as experts in evacuating people.

Citing embassy reports, Hernandez said Filipinos in the Gaza Strip are generally safe as long as they stay indoors.

Although there are difficulties in looking for exit points, he said one on the border of Egypt and another in Jordan have been identified as exit points for Filipinos in the Gaza Strip.

“This time, even if no one yet has asked to be evacuated, we are already sending RRT because we want to immediately respond to any eventuality. Our embassies of course are doing the right thing about getting in touch with the Filipinos there,” he said.

Hernandez said priority is the 100-plus Filipinos in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas. Most Filipinos there are married to Palestinians who will not leave if their husbands and spouses won’t come with them.

“So if ever there is a need to repatriate, maybe we also have to repatriate their spouses and their children,” he said.

The DFA official said Filipinos in Israel – about 41,000 mostly caregivers – are relatively safe and have not been so far affected by the mortar attacks.

He said the Filipinos in Israel are staying in houses and apartments with bunkers and bomb shelters. Public bomb shelters are also found in Israel where people could go to be safe from mortar attacks.

He said if the situation in the Gaza Strip becomes untenable, the RRT would immediately repatriate the Filipinos.

“We have not thought of evacuating the 41,000 Filipinos in Israel. There is no danger for them as of this time to warrant that kind of activity,” he said.