6,000 Pinoys in Egypt to be evacuated

MANILA, Philippines - The government yesterday ordered the mandatory evacuation of 6,000 Filipinos in Egypt because of the deteriorating security situation following days of violent clashes.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario issued crisis alert level 4, noting the worsening security situation that endangered Filipino workers there.

Del Rosario also ordered the deployment of a special team to Cairo to help speed up the repatriation of the Filipinos, who he urged to contact the embassy.

“The marked deterioration of peace and order in Egypt, exacerbated by the ongoing political instability and grave security challenges in that country, make working and living there increasingly difficult and dangerous,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

Del Rosario visited Egypt early this week in his second trip in the past fortnight to look into the escalating violence, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said.

Del Rosario visited Cairo for the second time in two weeks for the purpose of assessing the security situation of Filipino nationals there.

Crisis alert level 4 entails mandatory repatriation at the expense of the Philippine government.

A Rapid Response Team arrived in Cairo on Aug. 17 to assist in the implementation of the repatriation program.

While in Cairo, Del Rosario had a chance to meet the teenaged Filipino-Egyptian girl who was wounded by a stray bullet during clashes in Helwan, south of the capital.

Del Rosario said the girl was recovering and in “good spirits.”

The Philippine government urged voluntary repatriation for its citizens last week but raised the alert due to the rising violence, which has left 900 people dead following a crackdown on the protest camps of supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Del Rosario called on Filipino nationals in Egypt to contact the embassy in Cairo immediately and to avail of its repatriation service.

The embassy may be reached through the following contacts:

Trunk Lines: (+202) 25213062/64/65/51

Direct Lines: (+202) 2516 6217 / 25213045

Mobile Hotlines: (+2) 012 2743 6472 / 012 8247 6554 Fax No.: (+202) 2521-3048

Facebook: Cairo Philippine Embassy or

Email at [email protected]. or at [email protected].

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Carmelita Dimzon said the government is ready to provide the necessary assistance, including alternative livelihood for Filipinos upon their return to the country.

“We are ready to provide them all the assistance upon their return and they can avail of the government reintegration program,” Dimzon said.

Under the government’s reintegration program, a returning Filipino worker can undergo skills training as well as avail of loans that would enable them to put up their own business. – Mayen Jaymalin