Eighteen Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from Israel are set to return to the country on Wednesday, Oct. 18, according to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Arnell Ignacio.
In an interview during DZRH's Damdaming Bayan on Tuesday, Oct. 17, he said the 18 OFWs had already been scheduled for repatriation even before the raging Israel-Hamas war.
"Ito labing-walo iyan mga nanggaling sa Israel. Pero itong mga darating na ito, eh pauwi talaga ang mga ito. Hindi naman ito nanggaling sa area of violence [...] Indirectly merong kinalaman ang iba sa sigalot na nangyayari sa Gaza," Ignacio said.
Arnell Ignacio, Administrator, OWWA, sa mga darating na OFW mula Israel: 18 na mga nanggaling sa Israel. Pero itong mga darating na ito, pauwi talaga sila.#DamdamingBayan#SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) October 17, 2023
LIVE:https://t.co/8hLSVyxUhd pic.twitter.com/Ph1QKWsz5C
The OWWA Administrator said the agency still has the capability to send Filipinos back home.
"Diyan naman sa areas ng Israel, normal pa naman yung operations. Nandyan naman yung airport. For this repatriation, nakakapagpauwi pa naman tayo. Basta makalabas lamang sila, hindi na ganoon ka-bigat para sila ay makauwi," he said.
Meanwhile, Ignacio said 131 Filipinos who are situated inside the Gaza Strip have been mobilized to the border near Egypt.
"Relatively, mas safe ang area na ito dahil ang gulo nasa bandang north ng Gaza. So inaantay na lang na mabigyan sila ng humanitarian passage para makalabas ng Gaza. From there, mas madali-dali na sila ay maiuwi sa Pilipinas kung yun ang kanilang gusto," he added.
On Monday, Oct. 16, DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said the agency remains "hopeful" that the Rafah border crossing near Egypt would be open soon to serve as a safe exit for foreign nationals, including Filipinos.
On Sunday, the foreign department declared Alert Level 4 in the Gaza Strip and advised Filipino nationals in the area to leave immediately.
