The government is eyeing to rescue more Filipinos from Sudan during the 72-hour ceasefire agreement between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces.
In a video message released by the Malacañang on Tuesday, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos said government agencies are already preparing for the evacuation efforts once the 72-hour ceasefire will take effect.
He noted that this declaration is an "advantage" for the Philippine rescue teams.
"Mailalabas natin ang mga tao natin. So that's we're working on now," he added.
But Marcos said the rescue teams may encounter difficulty as land routes are not completely safe.
He said that all Filipinos that will be rescued may be transported to the countries of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) or Djibouti.
"The original plan was to take them to Cairo pero mahaba. So we're trying ---- we're watching this situation very closely and to see if there's a window of opportunity na mailabas natin ang mga Philippine nationals natin," Marcos said.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan 'Toots' Ople will personally head to Sudan to "spearhead the evacuation efforts", according to the President.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier reported that the first batch of evacuees, comprised of 50 Filipino, have been evacuated from Khartoum, Sudan, and were sent to the cities of Aswan and Cairo in Egypt.
