NO Filipino was hurt in Israel which Iran assaulted yesterday with nearly 200 ballistic missiles, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.

Undersecretary Bernard Olalia also said government is considering chartered flights to repatriate Filipinos in Lebanon. He said the flight is being readied for 300 persons even as only 63 have been cleared and are ready to return to Manila.

In a briefing in Malacañang, Olalia said Filipinos in Israel are aware of government’s contingency plans for attacks and retaliatory attacks by Israel and Iran and Iran-backed groups in Lebanon.

“Simula po noong nag-atake doon, wala na pong nasaktan na Filipino overseas workers sa Israel (Since the attacks there, there were no Filipino overseas workers who were hurt in Israel),” he said.

“Pati po sa Lebanon, wala pong ni isa na Filipino tayo na nasaktan (Also in Lebanon, there were no Filipinos hurt),” he added.

He said Filipinos in Israel know what to do in case of attacks and where the shelters are.

“We already anticipated those events. In fact, our contingency plans in Israel, Lebanon and Iran include… the situation will become worse. That’s why we have men on the ground, they work around the clock… to provide the safest route to evacuate and ultimately facilitate the repatriation of our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) either in Lebanon or in Israel,” he said.

The Israeli military said it is preparing to retaliate against the Iranian missile strikes, as it beefs up its ground forces in Lebanon. Israel is battling Hamas in Gaza and the Hezbollah in Lebanon, triggering fears the Middle East would be in a wider conflict which could also involve the United States which said it would work with Israel to ensure Iran faced “severe consequences” for the missile attacks.

The widening conflict started with an attack by the Palestine’s militant Hamas group on Israel on October 7 last year.

The incident in Lebanon involved exploding pagers, and later other electronic devices like walkie-talkies, used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon and Syria. The attacks, which killed over 10 people, were widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, in a statement, said the Migrant Workers Office in Beirut is in constant coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) after the bombings in Dahieh where 63 OFWs are staying.

“All OFWs were safe from the recent attacks and were immediately transferred to a hotel in Beit Mery, Lebanon for temporary shelter at much safer grounds,” Cacdac said, adding that there are also 16 overseas Filipinos temporarily staying in the rented facility in Beit Mery.

ASSISTANCE

Olalia said at least 63 Filipinos in Lebanon are ready to be repatriated.

He also said the DMW has halted the deployment of Filipino workers to Lebanon, which was placed under Alert Level 3.

President Marcos Jr., he said, has directed agencies to assist the Filipinos and facilitate their repatriation, and to provide them with a “whole-of-government-assistance” which include financial and even psychosocial aid.

Olalia said Filipinos who would be repatriated from Lebanon would receive a P150,000 cash assistance each, from the DMW and the OWWA, to help them restart their lives in the country.

He said other government agencies like the DFA, Department of Health (DOH) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will also assist the returning Filipinos.

CHARTERED FLIGHT

Olalia said the Philippine government is eyeing a chartered flight to repatriate Filipinos from Lebanon. He said a chartered flight costs P25 million.

He said the flight is being readied for 300 persons even as only 63 have already been cleared and are ready to return to Manila.

Olalia said 111 Filipinos are staying in shelters in Lebanon while around 100 to 110 are still waiting for their exit permits to be processed.

OWWA Repatriations and Assistance Division Chief Falconi Millar said the 111 Filipinos in the shelters are all ready to be repatriated.

Olalia said Philippine government representatives are also talking with employers who refused to let the Filipino workers leave. He said some employers took the passports of the Filipino workers while other employers made the Filipinos stay in their homes.

He said the DMW is also working with the immigration authorities of Lebanon for the processing of exit permits of Filipinos who do not have proper documentation.

“The other challenge there is to secure, of course, the landing rights of our chartered flight… in coordination with the Lebanese government. 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.

He said the Philippine government is determined to bring out the Filipinos and ensure their safety even if their employers refused to let them leave.

Olalia said the Philippine government has also deployed veteran labor attaché Adam Musa to oversee the situation in Lebanon in coordination with the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Beirut.

He said MWOs in the Middle East are also on standby, and in case the situation worsens, they are ready and willing to support the MWO in Beirut.

Olalia said 15 Filipinos were initially set to be repatriated last September 25 but the flight had been cancelled due to the escalating situation.

He said that apart from the chartered flights, the Philippine government is also looking at possible sea and the land routes “should the case or the situation there worsen.” – With Raymond Africa