The Philippines has started in-country relocation of Filipinos in Ukraine to safer ground, as Russian troops reportedly positioned near parts of Eastern Ukraine, an official of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Wednesday.
However, OWWA chief Hans Cacdac said that of the more than 300 Filipinos in Ukraine, only few have signified their intention to be repatriated.
He said two Filipinos have already informed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of their intention to go home. They were assured that they would get assistance for their flight back to the Philippines.
“As of now, there are no reports that military forces are already fighting, but we have already started our relocation efforts,” Cacdac said, adding three batches of Filipinos have been relocated to safer areas.
Cacdac said he expects more Filipinos will opt to come home and avoid the looming war between Russia and Ukraine.
Last week, six Filipinos, including a child with a Ukrainian father, arrived in the country as they availed of the government’s repatriation program.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the government’s free repatriation flight offer for Filipinos in Ukraine was still on the table.
“Our chief and singular concern is to take out of harm’s way our fellow Filipinos in Ukraine and bring them to the nearest places of safety by the fastest possible way,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said in a statement.
“Our offer to take Filipinos in Kiev is underway and Undersecretary Sarah Arriola is spearheading the repatriation effort for Filipinos who want to come home,” he added. Arriola is the undersecretary for the Migrant Workers’ Affairs Office at the DFA.
As of Feb. 18, the DFA has repatriated six Filipinos from the European nation.
Last week, the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, which exercises jurisdiction over Ukraine, also deployed a consular team to Kyiv to enable faster coordination with the Filipino community and the relevant authorities.
The DFA’s statement came as tensions mounted in the region following the announcement of President Vladimir Putin that Russia would officially recognize certain areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Moscow’s decision can be considered “a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and was inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”
The Philippine Embassy in Moscow, meanwhile, stands ready to assist Filipinos who want to enter Russia from the Ukraine.
“As part of our normal job here at the embassy, we stand ready to provide assistance to Filipinos who seek to enter Russia on humanitarian or emergency grounds in coordination with the Russian Federation authorities, which is our normal mandate,” it said in a
Feb. 22 statement.
“[W]e note that Russia and the Philippines are both members of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which espouses and
promotes the safe and orderly movement of people, (and) safe and orderly migration across boundaries,” it added.
But it advised all Filipinos planning to travel near the borders of Russia and Ukraine, including Russian cities Rostov-on-Don, Belgorod, and Kursk, to remain vigilant and monitor advisories from the embassy and Russian government authorities.
Reports said Russian President Vladimir Putin has already ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
Security analysts said Putin has been working to restore Russia’s influence over nations that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with Ukraine holding an important place in his ambitions.
United States President Joe Biden earlier announced the first sanctions against Russia for what he called “Moscow’s beginning of an invasion of Ukraine.”
Biden vowed for steeper punishments against Russia if it continues its aggression.
The European Union, Canada and Britain also announced sanctions against Russia.
