MANILA, Philippines - The total number of repatriates from war-torn Syria reached 5,361 on Thursday after 25 Filipinos arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport onboard Emirates Airlines EK 332.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said out of the total number, 2,332 were brought home through Lebanon with the help of the Philippine Embassy in Beirut.
The cost of airline tickets of the 25 Filipinos were shouldered by the International Organization for Migration in Damascus, DFA said.
The Philippine Embassy in Damascus also urged Filipinos in Syria to avail of the mandatory repatriation program of the government.
With the (mandatory repatriation program) still in place, the Philippine Embassy is inviting the next-of-kin of Filipino workers who are still in Syria, to get in touch with the Embassy at the following contact details: 00963-11-6132626, 00963-949155557, 00963-934957926, e-mail: damascuspe@gmail.com, and to provide information of their family member’s whereabouts so that immediate assistance can be extended to them, DFA said.