Pinoys in Israel, Iran urged to leave as alert level raised
Only a relatively small number of Filipinos living and working in Israel and Iran have so far expressed their intention to return to the Philippines as the two countries launched fresh attacks against each other on Saturday, a day after the Philippine government raised alert level 3 to assist in repatriation, officials said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that 21 government officials who were stranded in Israel in the middle of the country’s rocket exchanges with Iran, returned safely to the Philippines early Saturday.
Under alert level 3, a signal for voluntary repatriation, Filipinos in Israel and Iran are encouraged to return to the Philippines.
The DFA said on Friday that travel by Filipinos to the two countries also was “highly discouraged, due to the ongoing crisis and the actual closure of their air space and seaports.”
‘They went through a lot’
According to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), there are about 30,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Israel but only around 150 have expressed interest in being repatriated since the current conflict flared up after Israel bombarded Iran on June 13.
There are 1,180 Filipinos in Iran. Most of them are married to Iranians and less than 10 wanted to return to the Philippines, the DMW said.
The DMW said the first 26 OFWs are scheduled to return to the Philippines this weekend.
The 21 Filipino officials who returned from Israel arrived on a flight from Dubai, Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told the Inquirer.
The DILG said that of the 21, 15 were local government officials composed of two congressmen, nine mayors and four vice mayors who went on a June 9 to June 20 study tour “focused on sustainability and food security” at the invitation and expense of the Israeli government.
They were joined by DILG Regional Directors Jonathan Paul Leusen Jr. of Region 1 and Juan Jovian Ingeniero of Region 6. The four other officials were Agriculture Assistant Secretary Benjamin Albarece, Philippine Carabao Center Executive Director Liza Battad and National Dairy Authority officials Rowena Bautista and Angelica Escanilla.
Envoys not leaving Tehran
“We are just happy that they are safely home. They went through a lot. We have been monitoring them 24/7 until they got home safely,” said Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla who welcomed them at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Saturday morning.
The DILG said that when the conflict broke out, the group took temporary shelter in bunkers before leaving Israel via Jordan where they took commercial flights to Dubai.
Speaking at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, De Vega said all nine Filipino diplomats at the Philippine Embassy in Tehran, including Ambassador Robert Manalo, will remain in the Iranian capital to continue monitoring and assisting Filipinos.
De Vega quoted Manalo as saying that all of them were “essential” staffers.
Like a ghost town
“They cannot even pull out even one. They will send home their wives, their dependents, (who) can always go home,” he said. “Right now, they are staying in the embassy. Again this is what we signed up for.”
The embassy is finding ways to evacuate Filipinos out of Iran, including land crossing to neighboring states like Turkmenistan.
Foreign Assistant Secretary Robert Ferrer said all safe border exits from Iran were being considered.
“Tehran is now almost like a ghost town. Many have left Tehran and the Filipinos have left Tehran,” Ferrer said.
He noted that the Philippine Embassy was one of the few foreign missions still open in the Iranian capital.
The evacuation of the diplomats’ dependents will depend on the decision of the DFA concerning evacuation plans.
Ferrer said there had been “a lot of misinformation going on and it’s in Manila, not Tel Aviv.”
“If you ask most our Filipinos in Tel Aviv, they are calm, they don’t want to go home, they believe in the Israeli system to protect them, to take care of them,” he said.
Filipinos in Israel who plan to return to the Philippines may contact the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, at +972 54 466 1188 or email at telaviv.pe@dfa.gov.ph.
The Philippine Embassy in Tehran can be reached at its 24/7 Hotline Emergency Number +989 12 213 6801 or by email at tehran.pe@dfa.gov.ph. —WITH A REPORT FROM PNA
