MOST Filipinos in Lebanon prefer to stay there despite repeated appeals by the Philippine government to leave as fighting between Israel and militant group Hezbollah continues to escalate, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said only 356 Filipinos have been repatriated since last year out of 17,537 living and working in Lebanon, while there are “pending 738 current applicants for voluntary repatriation.”
‘Padagdag ng padagdag (The number is growing) but not by much,” he added, referring to the number seeking repatriation.
On Saturday, the Philippine Embassy in Beirut “strongly urged” Filipinos in Lebanon to leave the country, amid an Israeli airstrike that day in the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon following a pause in ceasefire talks between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
“The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon strongly urges all Filipino citizens to leave Lebanon immediately while the airport remains operational. We advise all Filipino nationals to prioritize their safety and depart the country as soon as possible,” the embassy said in an advisory, adding that if the Filipinos are unable to leave the country, it would be better for them to evacuate to safer areas outside of Beirut, south Lebanon and the Bekaa valley.
Bekaa valley is the stronghold of the Iran-allied group Hezbollah.
Other countries have also urged their citizens to leave the country since tensions have soared in recent days after a July 27 strike blamed on Hezbollah that killed 12 children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the rocket strike.
Israel subsequently retaliated by killing Hezbollah’s top military leader Fuad Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut.
Tension rose further after Hamas top political leader Ismael Haniyeh was also assassinated in Tehran, Iran in an attack widely blamed on Israel.
Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killings, heightening fears of a widening Middle East conflict.
De Vega said despite the tension, most Filipinos opted to stay in the country.
“Usually, ganun ang mga overseas Filipinos natin. Ayaw nila umuwi kung wala naming nakikita na tunay na digmaan sa kanilang mga kapaligiran (Usually, overseas Filipinos preferred to stay. They do not want to go home unless they see war right on their doorstep),” de Vega said.
But he said the DFA and the embassy will continue to appeal to Filipinos to leave Lebanon.
He added that the embassy is in communication with members of the Filipino community in Lebanon and is ready to render them assistance.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac told a radio interview that 13 overseas Filipino workers and three children were repatriated from Lebanon on Saturday, while 45 more Filipinos are expected to come home next week.
De Vega earlier said no Filipinos are living in Lebanon’s border with Israel where Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants are trading fire on a nearly day to day basis.
Lebanon is currently under the DFA’s Alert Level 3.
Alert Level 3 is raised when there is a “current unstable security situation” in a given country. The next and highest alert, Level 4, would mean the mandatory repatriation, and prohibits the deployment of new and returning Filipinos to the country.
