Marcos: No mass repatriation of OFWs yet; ‘just stay safe’
More than a thousand Filipinos in different Middle East countries are asking the government to bring them back to the Philippines as conflict in the region worsens.
President Marcos, however, admitted that transporting stranded Filipinos by air or by land remains impossible at the moment.
While waiting for the opportunity to ensure their safe exit, the President urged overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to stay put and keep themselves from danger.
In a briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, Mr. Marcos said a total of 1,416 Filipinos had requested to be repatriated.
Majority of those who wanted to return to the Philippines were from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where almost a million Filipinos are based: 586 from its largest city Dubai, and 270 from the capital Abu Dhabi.
Others seeking repatriation include 297 OFWs from Israel, 231 from Bahrain, 22 from Jordan, and 10 from Iran.
Among them are stranded workers on their way home after their contracts had expired, and permanent residents who want to get out of the danger areas.
No planes flying
However, according to Mr. Marcos, “the problem is no airplanes are flying, and some of the airports are not operating as they were hit by airstrikes.”
“Our assessment is that it is very dangerous to fly over there. Even if we bring in our own airplanes, we still cannot repatriate our countrymen since airports remain closed,” the President added.
Mr. Marcos also noted how fighter jets of the United States were mistakenly shot down over Kuwait in an apparent friendly fire incident.
“The [Middle East skies] are all no-fly zones. This is a combat area,” he said.
According to the latest advisory from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a total of 45 flights to and from the Philippines and the Middle East have been canceled or diverted since attacks began on Feb. 28.
Transporting repatriates via land also remains dangerous due to friendly fire, the President noted, as a convoy of vehicles might be misidentified as hostile movement.
Land travel would be the “best option” in the immediate future should repatriation activities be permitted by host countries. But at this time, Mr. Marcos advised Filipinos in the region to “just stay put and be safe. And we will slowly try to find ways for those who want to be repatriated… to get you out safely.”
No orders yet
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said there are no orders yet for the mass repatriation of the more than 2 million Filipinos in the Middle East, but the Philippine government will be ready should it happen.
Such mass repatriation will only take effect once the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raises the alert level over Middle East countries to the highest alert level 4, under which the government will undertake mandatory evacuation of all Filipinos from affected countries.
Based on the latest DFA crisis level in the Middle East, only Gaza, Syria, and Yemen are under alert level 4.
No alert levels are currently imposed in the key Gulf states of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, where majority of the Filipinos seeking repatriation are from.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the agency has already coordinated with the Department of National Defense for the possible use of military assets “at the proper time.” It has also held talks with private companies to provide additional land, sea, and air options for repatriation.
Affected OFWs
Cacdac reported that an OFW injured in a strike in Kuwait is now safe.
“Someone was injured, yes. She works at the airport terminal, and she sustained neck wounds. But she is okay, she was discharged from the hospital on March 1st. She’s back home in Kuwait,” he said.
A Filipina caregiver from Pangasinan was earlier killed after an Iranian attack against Israel on Monday.
According to the Israeli Embassy in Manila, the 32-year-old OFW was assisting her patient to safety when her apartment in Tel Aviv was struck.
Meanwhile, to help Filipino families keep in touch with their loved ones working in the Middle East, telecom company PLDT Inc., through its wireless unit Smart Communications, said Filipinos using Smart virtual numbers can access free calls if they are currently in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Smart subscribers in affected areas can also contact the DMW Overseas Workers Welfare Administration hotline at 1348 free of charge. The free call assistance will run until March 15, PLDT said.
For Smart and TNT subscribers in the Philippines with family members in the Middle East, the company is offering free international direct dialing calls to Israel, Iran and Gulf states until March 7.
Earlier, Globe Telecom Inc. also offered free roaming services to Filipinos. Eligible subscribers in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait will receive a complimentary roaming package that includes 1 gigabyte of mobile data, 15 minutes of calls, and 15 SMS credits.
Customers must connect to Globe’s partner networks in each country to access the roaming package. These include STC and Zain in Saudi Arabia; Du and e& (Etisalat) in the UAE; Batelco and Zain Bahrain in Bahrain; Ooredoo and Vodafone in Qatar; and Ooredoo Kuwait and stc Kuwait in Kuwait.
Ilonggo workers monitored
Meanwhile, the Iloilo City government said it is closely monitoring 224 Ilonggo OFWs currently deployed in various Middle Eastern countries.
Mayor Raisa Treñas assured that the local government is ready to provide immediate assistance should any of the affected OFWs be sent home due to the escalating conflict. —WITH A REPORT FROM HAZEL P. VILLA
