THE Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said a Filipino was reportedly abducted while others remained missing in the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas that started when fighters of the radical group attacked the country on Saturday.
In a statement, the department quoted a report from the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv that a Filipina reached out to say she recognized her husband in one of the videos circulating in the internet showing a man held by armed men and most likely brought to Gaza Strip, the narrow strip of land were more than two million Palestinians lived.
“Post urgently relayed this to the Israel military authorities. Post cannot independently verify his identity based on the video alone but considers the report of the wife as important. We are also working with community contacts on his case,” the DFA statement said.
It added that the man and the six others earlier reported missing cannot be contacted through their cellular phones or even their social media accounts.
Consul General and Deputy Chief of Mission Anthony Mandap later told reporters in an online briefing that the six are all working in Israel.
Mandap also said 20 Filipinos who earlier sought the embassy’s assistance have been transferred to safer areas. Included in the group are the two Filipinos earlier reported injured, with one being treated for injuries he sustained during a rescue operation by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). The other one, a Filipina, was treated for smoke inhalation and moved to a hotel in Tel Aviv.
There are over 30,000 Filipinos living and working in Israel, with the majority concentrated in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv.
DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said 25 Filipinos in the Gaza Strip have sought assistance to be repatriated to Manila. There are 137 Filipinos in the Gaza Strip, including those married to Palestinian nationals.
Daza said the request was coursed through the Philippine Embassy in Amman, Jordan.
She said the “number of requests may change” in the coming days as residents of Gaza Strip are increasingly fearful of massive Israeli retaliation.
Israeli combat aircraft have made repeated bombing runs inside the narrow strip of territory in retaliation for Hamas’ attack and reports said the Israeli government is also readying its forces for a ground invasion.
Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac, officer-in-charge of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)said, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) got hit by a bullet and is now recovering in a hospital.
“We know of one OFW, who got injured in the process of rescue. He got shot in the arm, and was grazed by a bullet. He is not in a life threatening situation. He is in a hospital,” said Cacdac.
The OFW was later identified as Joey Fasulingan, in a televised public briefing, by Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) head Arnell Ignacio.
Cacdac said five OFWs are still missing, particularly in areas near the Gaza Strip.
“Since Saturday, we’ve cut down the numbers (of those missing) from 15 or 16. Now, it’s down to five. So the search efforts continue,” he said.
They were identified by Ignacio as Grace Cabrera, Shelly Morillo, Norilyn Babadilla, Gallenor Leandro Pacheco, and Loreta Alacre.
Asked for the possible reasons they cannot be reached, Cacdac said they might have been transferred to safer areas.
As to the rest of the OFWs in affected areas, he official said they are convinced many of them are in safe locations.
“We put up a Google survey for those in affected areas near the Gaza Strip border. About 281 in the area said they are safe while four respondents have sought assistance. We are currently assisting them as we speak,” related Cacdac.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to suspend overseas voter registration activities in Israel.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the commission en banc will approve the suspension tomorrow.
During the May 2022 polls, there were 13,364 overseas voters in Israel. — With Gerard Naval
