DFA calls on Filipinos to leave Lebanon anew after deadly device explosions

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs has reiterated its calls for Filipinos in Lebanon to return to the Philippines while they can still avail of commercial flights  after what appears to be a step-up in the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.

Lebanon was rocked earlier this week by a series of explosions when hundreds of pagers, reportedly belonging to Hezbollah members, detonated simultaneously. The blasts claimed 12 lives and injured up to 2,800. A fresh attack followed the next day, with walkie-talkies exploding, killing at least 20 people and wounding 450. 

The pagers were tampered with by Israel before arriving in Lebanon, according to anonymous United States government sources cited by the New York Times.  

No Filipino was injured in the attacks, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in an interview with ANC's "Headstart" on Friday, September 20.

"You can't really do anything if there is a country or organization which managed to make such an operation resulting in the deaths of many Hezbollah members," De Vega said.

"We cannot advise Filipinos not to operate cell phones. That's why the embassy is just informing Filipinos to stay at home as much as possible... and not make unnecessary travels across the country," the DFA official said.

Alert Level 3 has been hoisted upon Lebanon since last year, which means the DFA is allowing for the voluntary repatriation of Filipinos. 

Since then, over 500 out of 11,000 Filipinos in the country have gone home and about 1,000 are still planning to return, De Vega said. Several are choosing to stay to keep their jobs.

"Those who want to say they go home tend to be those who just arrived in the last year or two. Those who have been there for many years and are quite used to the situation are saying they won't go home. They'll stay," he added.

Most Filipino citizens in the country work as household workers while a number are in "skilled jobs," De Vega added.

The recent incident has prompted authorities to renew their calls for Filipinos to avail of commercial options to return to the country while they still can. 

Once airports close, the DFA will be constrained to using ports to evacuate Filipinos. 

"That's was how we evacuated Filipinos 10 years ago from Libya and other countries during the Arab Spring. That's why we're telling Filipinos now in Lebanon and Israel to go home now while it's easy to get commercial flights paid by the government," De Vega said.

The DFA will place Lebanon under Alert Level 4 — the highest in the tier system — if it sees a "full war situation" break out in the Middle Eastern country. Under this alert level, the Philippines will impose a mandatory repatriation of Filipinos and a total deployment ban.

De Vega said the department is just waiting for its ambassador in Beirut to say if he believes the situation calls for the highest crisis alert level.

"We will use all our resources to bring Filipinos home," he said.

Israel on Tuesday announced that it has expanded its war against Hamas to include securing the northern front with Lebanon, following increased tensions with Hezbollah. 

Since Hamas militants' October 7 attack, Israel has vowed to crush the militant group and recover hostages. Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, has engaged in daily skirmishes with Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border.

Though not officially declared a war, the clashes along the Lebanon front have killed hundreds in Lebanon, mostly fighters, and dozens of Israeli soldiers, according to Agence France-Presse. 

The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon has provided the following contact numbers to assist Filipinos wishing to return to the Philippines:

• Documented and undocumented overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs): +961 79110729
• OFWs with permanent resident status: +961 70858086.

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