From Israel, 26 Filipinos to return home via land route
MANILA, Philippines — The first group of Filipinos seeking repatriation from Israel will leave the country via Jordan's land route and could arrive in the Philippines this weekend.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega confirmed that 26 Filipinos will cross the border to Jordan before flying home, in a message to reporters on Wednesday, June 18.
This batch is part of the 150 Filipinos in Israel who have so far requested to return to the Philippines amid an intense exchange of missile strikes between Israel and Iran.
It's unclear whether the 26 Filipinos who will be repatriated this week include the 17 government officials who were trapped in the country when the conflict erupted. They were invited by the Israeli government there for a work visit and study tour and were supposed to fly back on June 20.
Complicated logistics. The repatriation of Filipinos has to be done through a land route as Israel's airspace remains closed, following the country's launch of hundreds of strikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13.
Both nations on Wednesday entered their sixth consecutive day of exchanging waves of missiles, despite urgent calls from international powers to de-escalate the conflict.
Iran earlier said it would target the United States' military bases in the Middle East if US President Donald Trump fully sides with Israel in the conflict, starting with those in neighboring Iraq.
The Philippines has not ordered a mandatory evacuation of all Filipinos in Israel and has maintained its Alert Level 2 for the country since October 2023. This alert level advises against non-essential travel and prohibits deployment of overseas Filipino workers.
For Filipinos who want to join the voluntary repatriation program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Philippine Embassy in Israel on Wednesday advised them to send an email to [email protected] with a copy of their passport, latest visa and mobile number.
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