THE Philippine government will repatriate 131 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and nine dependents in Lebanon to ensure their safety amid worsening conflict, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Monday.
In a statement, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the Filipinos are expected to come home early this week.
The Filipinos are expected to arrive in two batches — 52 workers with one dependent on Feb. 10 and 79 workers with eight dependents on Feb. 11.
“Most of them were sheltered in Beirut under the auspices of the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA),” he said “We stand continually ready to assist and support OFWs who wish to come home for safety and security.”
The Filipinos will get immediate financial assistance, airport support and post-arrival services from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), OWWA, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
The DMW’s National Reintegration Center for OFWs will also provide reintegration help, including upskilling opportunities, livelihood assistance and skill training.
The return of the 131 OFWs and their dependents will bring the number of repatriated Filipinos from Lebanon to 1,569 OFWs and 68 dependents, according to DMW data.
The DFA earlier placed Lebanon under Alert Level 3 and Crisis Alert Level 3, suspending the deployment of contract workers to the West Asian country.
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on Jan. 15 that took effect on Jan. 19, allowing Palestinians to return home. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, supported Palestine in its war against Israel.
Israel had vowed to destroy Hamas for its October 2023 attack, in which 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, and 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 48,000 people have died in Israel’s retaliatory assault, most of them civilians, according to Palestinian health authorities. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
