Government mulls raising alert in Lebanon, mandatory OFW repatriation

MANILA, Philippines —  The government is determining whether to raise the status of Lebanon to Alert Level 4, a condition that would involve the mandatory repatriation of Filipinos in the conflict-hit country.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is conducting the review but it is hard to say when the government would come up with a decision on the matter.

“Under the law, it is the DFA that sets the alert level to Alert Level 3 and the review for Alert Level 4,” Cacdac said in a press briefing yesterday at Malacañang.

“DFA is conducting the review. So, we will just await their action or for their advice from our colleagues,” he added.

The Philippine government started the repatriation of Filipinos after the alert status in Lebanon was elevated from Level 2 to Level 3 in October last year.

Under Alert Level 3, Filipinos are advised to consider repatriation on a voluntary basis. The repatriation would be mandatory if the status is raised to Alert Level 4.

Cacdac said the government is ready in case the alert status in Lebanon is elevated.

“We stand ready... The President has heightened our engagement in terms of safely repatriating our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) out of Lebanon. So, that would accommodate any situation more particularly if it is raised to Alert Level Four,” the migrant workers chief said.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Arnell Ignacio gave assurance that government personnel and funds in the conflict-affected areas are ready even if the President has not yet called for a mandatory repatriation. He added that the Filipinos staying in shelters set up by the Philippine government are taken care of.

“You can see they’re very, very fine; food we’re serving; they’re almost having a fiesta... So, as you can see this is very far from how we picture them as panicking. There’s a fiesta atmosphere there already,” Ignacio said.

According to Cacdac, 11 Filipinos are expected to arrive this weekend while the exit clearances of 413 others are being processed. There are 179 Filipinos staying in four shelters around Beirut.

Israeli warplanes conducted more than 30 overnight air raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Oct. 6. There are no reported injuries or casualties among Filipinos as of Oct. 7.

President Marcos has instructed concerned state agencies to mobilize resources to ensure the safe and timely evacuation of Filipinos affected by tensions in the Middle East.

The Philippine embassy in Beirut has so far received 1,721 applications for repatriation as of Oct. 8. Of the figure, 511 persons have been repatriated.

P150,000 cash aid

OFWs who will leave the conflict in Lebanon will receive P150,000 cash assistance upon their return to the country, House deputy majority leader and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo said yesterday.

“Based on the briefing conducted by Ignacio, we still have 11,000 more Filipinos or OFWs in Lebanon. OWWA assured us that they will be ready along with the Department of Migrant Workers to repatriate these OFWs,” Tulfo said.

Ignacio said that migrant workers should decide to go home if only to let the situation become better, since it is the safety of everyone that is of utmost concern.

“Anyway, we have cash assistance that are readily available so that they will have money for whatever needs they may have, which may be in lieu of the salaries these OFWs have been receiving before the armed conflict began,” Tulfo said.

Aside from shouldering the airfare, the DMW and OWWA will also give P75,000 each or a total of P150,000 in cash assistance to the OFWs, upon their arrival in the country.

Tulfo said he spoke with Ignacio so that the leadership in Congress would know the real state of repatriation of Filipinos stuck in the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

He likewise gave assurance that the Congress is closely monitoring the events, not only in Lebanon, but also in Israel and Iran.

According to Tulfo, Speaker Martin Romualdez already gave specific instructions to Rep. Zaldy Co, chairman of the House appropriations committee, to prepare and allocate funds for the DMW and OWWA’s repatriation efforts.

“And this should not just be limited to DMW and OWWA, but the additional funds should also be earmarked for other problematic areas or countries as well in the Middle East,” Tulfo said. –  Delon Porcalla