MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is preparing to repatriate at least 63 Filipinos from Haiti, a country gripped by gang violence and a humanitarian crisis.
The move comes after Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo approved the declaration of Alert Level 3 in Haiti, signifying the voluntary repatriation for Filipinos there. Around 115 Filipinos work and reside in the Caribbean island nation.
“The Philippine government is awaiting confirmation on whether or not the rest will agree to be repatriated,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said in a joint statement.
The three agencies are looking to charter a flight to evacuate Filipinos from Haiti since no flights are coming out of the country, and land travel to the capital Port-au-Prince is also discouraged.
To date, no Filipinos have been reported as affected or injured in Haiti.
A recent United Nations report warned that Haiti, already hit by drought, natural disaster and weak government, has seen “the near-collapse of basic services” with gangs controlling large parts of Port-au-Prince as well as key roads leading elsewhere.
That has left millions vulnerable as they await the formation of a transitional governing council to take power after unpopular Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned under pressure. — with report from Agence France-Presse