Nearly 300 Filipinos in Lebanon are ready to be repatriated following the rising conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
At least 226 OFWs have declared their readiness to go home and applied for repatriation, the DMW said.
“Once the exit permits are processed, over 200 Filipinos will be ready for evacuation from the country,” DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called on all parties involved in the worsening situation in the Middle East to de-escalate violence and pursue “a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
The DFA issued this statement following Israel’s ground operations in Lebanon, which began on Wednesday.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations were prompted by recent attacks, including missile strikes from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in response to Israeli actions in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the assassinations of key IRGC, Hamas, and Hezbollah figures.
The IDF said it would conduct “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” aimed at Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, using precise intelligence to focus on terrorist infrastructure.
“We emphasize the need to adhere to international humanitarian law, especially the principles of proportionality and distinction in response to security threats, and to ensure the protection of civilians at all times,” the DFA said.
Olalia confirmed that 111 Filipinos were currently awaiting departure from Lebanon, while 115 were in the process of securing exit permits, making a total of 226.
“They are going through immigration authorities in Lebanon,” he said.
“The other challenge is the exit permits of some of our workers. Apart from documented OFWs, we have undocumented OFWs who need to secure travel documents,” he said.
The DMW also received reports of a few OFWs who were refused to be let go by their employers, Olalia said.
Olalia said the DMW is “working around the clock” to provide the safest possible route to evacuate the OFWs, not just in Lebanon but also in Israel.
However, the DMW assured that no Filipinos were hurt in the recent clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
“Our Filipino workers in the area have been evacuated and are staying in safe shelters,” he added.
Filipinos awaiting repatriation are housed in four designated shelters.
The alert level in Lebanon remains at Level 3, which indicates a voluntary repatriation.
The Philippine government has imposed a total ban on the deployment of OFWs to Lebanon.
There are 11,360 OFWs in Lebanon, most of whom are staying in Beirut, the DMW said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “DFA urges deescalation, peaceful resolution of Israel ops in Lebanon.”
