At least 59 Filipinos in Lebanon have asked to be repatriated amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah military group, according to Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat.
In an interview with another media outlet, Balatbat said that they received the 59 applications for repatriation on Sunday and is expected to increase in the following days.
Of the 59 who signed up, the ambassador said that only three were based in Southern Lebanon, where another tension is happening with Israel.
Most of the applicants, he said, are from the capital, Beirut and Mount Lebanon area.
Around 17,500 Filipinos are living in Lebanon.
The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon opened on Sunday the applications for repatriation for any of the 17,500 Filipinos in the country who wish to be repatriated.
This comes after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Alert Level 3, or voluntary repatriation, due to the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel has been launching extensive airstrikes on Gaza since October 7, resulting in the detah of more than 1,400 people as well as high number of casualties.
