President orders mobilization of all resources – by air or sea
President Marcos on Wednesday directed all concerned government agencies to mobilize resources to repatriate “by whatever means” Filipinos affected by the crisis in the Middle East.
“We are now going to evacuate our people by whatever means – by air, or by sea,” Marcos said during the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos where he convened a meeting via teleconference attended by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año.
Mr. Marcos later in the day clarified there is no mandatory repatriation yet of Filipinos in Lebanon, noting the Philippine embassy has yet to raise the alert to Level 4.
“It’s still Alert Level 3. It depends on the situation there, and the ones who will assess that will be our DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) through our embassy,” he said, referring to the code for voluntary repatriation.
After nearly a year of cross-border clashes, Israel intensified its bombing campaign on Sept. 23, killing more than 1,110 people, according to a media tally of official figures. Israeli warplanes launched overnight air raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Oct. 6.
More than one million people, about a sixth of Lebanon’s population, have been displaced, many flocking to Beirut which is now overwhelmed.
Turkey on Wednesday sent ships to evacuate around 2,000 of its citizens from Lebanon, with its Beirut envoy saying it would be “the biggest” evacuation of its type from the war-torn country.
President Marcos said he directed all concerned agencies to prepare to bring home Filipinos caught in the conflict in Lebanon.
“Basically, we are just putting the plans together on how we will bring them back home as quickly as possible,” he said.
“Just make all the preparations so that all our assets are nearby. If we need a ship, there should be one near Beirut so that once the Embassy gives us the clearance and they say our people can go, we can immediately repatriate them so they no longer have to wait in danger areas,” Mr. Marcos added.
Teodoro reported to the President that repatriation of more Filipinos will start once they get all the necessary exit clearance.
Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat said all available measures will be exhausted to expedite the exit clearances, enabling the government to proceed with the repatriation.
As of Oct. 8, the Philippine Embassy in Beirut has received 1,721 applications for repatriation, with 511 already repatriated and 171 ready for repatriation.
Financial assistance of P150,000 from the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) were given to each of the repatriated OFWs.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is part of the official delegation to Laos, said the video conference “was an urgent call to assess the situation.”
“There was growing tension in the Middle East and we have to secure our Filipinos there. We wanted to make the security arrangements and assure them that amidst the growing tensions, we secure our Filipinos in the region,” he said.
Hezbollah fired projectiles into Israel on Wednesday and said it foiled ground incursions, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanon could face destruction like Gaza.
Hezbollah said it repelled two Israeli attempts to breach border areas, using rocket-propelled weapons and engaging in ground combat with Israeli soldiers.
Israel said its air defenses intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon, setting off sirens around Caesarea, south of Haifa.
On Tuesday, the military said Hezbollah had fired 180 projectiles at Israel, mainly around Haifa, as Israel escalated its ground offensive along Lebanon’s southern coast.
Netanyahu’s stark warning came a year and a day after the start of Israel’s war against Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza.
“You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza,” he said in a video address.
“I say to you, the people of Lebanon: Free your country from Hezbollah so that this war can end.” With AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “PBBM orders swift repatriation of Filipinos fleeing Middle East conflict.”
