DESPITE a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Alert Level 3 remains in place for both countries, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.
Alert level 3 means voluntary repatriation of Filipinos in a given location.
The DFA said the Philippines welcomes the ceasefire and called for continued dialogue to permanently end the armed conflict between the two countries.
The US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on Monday, putting an end to the war between the two countries.
The air and missile strikes put around 30,000 Filipinos in Israel and 1,180 in Iran in danger. Eight Filipinos in Israel were injured, although only one remained in the hospital in critical condition.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said activities in Israel are slowly returning to normal but the department would wait for official recommendations from the embassies in Tel Aviv and Tehran on whether to retain or downgrade the alert level.
As Alert Level 3 still in place, De Vega said, the voluntary repatriation of Filipinos will continue.
For those who have requested to leave Israel, repatriation will continue, he said but added that repatriation from Israel of 50 Filipinos through Jordan will likely be put on hold as the Israeli government mulls fully reopening its airspace to commercial airlines.
About 340 Filipinos have requested to return to the Philippines, based on the latest data from the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, including the 50 confirmed for repatriation.
A total of 26 Filipino workers have been repatriated to Manila while 100 Filipino pilgrims and students have been repatriated earlier.
Patricia Caunan, administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said the agency and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) have received “340 requests for repatriation” from Israel.
She said 26 of the 340 are part of the first batch of OFW repatriates that arrived in the country on Tuesday night.
Caunan said another 50 OFWs are set to follow, while 23 more are being processed.
“The airspace closures are forcing us to adjust the schedules (of repatriation),” she said.
She assured Filipinos that the voluntary repatriation program is open to both documented and undocumented workers.
Meanwhile, 135 Filipinos in Israel have lost their homes due to Iranian missile impact, 125 of whom have been transferred to temporary housing accommodations.
Eight Filipinos have been injured, though only one remained in the hospital and in critical condition.
Meanwhile, the embassy in Tel Aviv said it will resume full operation on June 30.
“Following the ceasefire announcement and the lifting of all movement and gathering restrictions by the IDF Home Front Command, the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv will reopen and resume consular, MWO, and OWWA services on Monday, 30 June 2025,” the embassy said.
“The Embassy will spend the following days prior to its reopening to continue reaching out and providing assistance to Filipinos affected by the recent conflict,” it added.
Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula asked “parishes, mission stations, shrines, chapels, and communities of consecrated persons in the Archdiocese of Manila to organize communal prayers, Eucharistic Adoration, praying of the rosary, and Eucharistic celebrations for world peace.”
The Manila archdiocese also issued a special intention for the Prayers of the Faithful to be included all Masses starting yesterday. – With Gerard Naval
