Leyte mayor recounts Israel seminar amid bombings
TACLOBAN CITY—Terrifying.
This was how Mayor Aron Balais of Barugo town in Leyte province described his experience being stranded in Israel at the height of its conflict with Iran earlier this month.
“We really thought we would not be able to return to the Philippines. It was a very terrifying experience,” Balais told the Inquirer in an interview on June 26, six days after he returned to the Philippines from Israel.
Balais was among 17 mayors and Department of the Interior and Local Government officials invited by the Israeli government for a study program.
Potential target
At one point, Balais said, he was scared that they would become a target because of the presence of soldiers deployed to protect them.
“They deployed about 150 soldiers to our hotel and treated us like diplomats. But honestly, I also feared that their presence might make us a target,” he said.
He feared that their chances of going home would become even slimmer had the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated.
The Philippine delegation managed to return to the country via Dubai on June 20.
Also with the group were Mayor Athene Mendros of Lawaan town in Eastern Samar, and Mayor Betty Cabal of Hindang town in Leyte.
Bomb shelter
The group arrived in Israel on June 7, six days before the first missile strike on June 13.
They were billeted at a hotel in Shifayem, a coastal town known for its agricultural programs.
“We had no idea that such a conflict would break out. Of course, had the Israeli government known they would be attacked, they wouldn’t have invited us,” Balais said.
He recalled that during the June 13 attack by Iran, they were told to go down to the bomb shelter within the hotel compound.
He remembered trembling in fear as they sought shelter because they could hear exploding missiles nearby. Fortunately, their hotel was not hit.
“We just laid on foam mattresses in the shelter, but we could hear every time a missile exploded,” Balais recalled.
Prayers
Despite the attacks, Balais said they were able to complete the seminar held inside their hotel.
“We managed to finish the seminar, although our scheduled field trip was canceled due to security concerns. Hours before any missile attack—usually around midnight to 2 a.m.—we would be told to proceed to the hotel’s bomb shelter,” he said.
He added that fear gripped them every time missiles were launched and all they could do was pray for the attacks to stop.
Balais was grateful to the Israeli government which made sure that everyone was safe.
He vowed to first check the geopolitical situation the next time he receives an invitation to visit a foreign country.
“But at least, we were able to return home safely,” Balais said.
Repatriated
In a related development, six overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were successfully repatriated from Iran on Saturday morning, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.
The group consisted of five shrimp hatchery technicians who worked in Iran and a domestic worker based in Dubai who accompanied her employer as a tourist to Iran.
The OFWs were given P150,000 in financial assistance from the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration on top of aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Two other OFWs from Iran were expected to arrive on Saturday night.
There are 1,180 Filipinos in Iran but the DMW said less than 10 have expressed interest to be repatriated since most of them are married to Iranians.
The conflict in the Middle East was reignited on June 13 after Israel launched a preemptive missile attack on Iran. The two have been exchanging missile attacks until a ceasefire was reached on June 24. —WITH A REPORT FROM JACOB LAZARO
