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16 Filipinos repatriated from Israel
Sixteen Filipinos safely returned to the country on Wednesday amid the continuing conflict in Israel.
According to Sandra Aguinaldo’s report on ''24 Oras,'' the repatriates arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 and were welcomed by officials from various government agencies, including the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Of the 16, one was hotel staff, while 15 were employed as caregivers in Israel, including Myleen Rivera and Cathlyn Tolentino, who recalled the harrowing details of the attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.
Rivera, who was working for an elderly person in Be’eri in Kibbutz, remembered waking up to sirens and continuous bombing on the day of the incident. She immediately escaped to the bomb shelter with her employer, where they were rescued by the military.
“Nag-message na ako sa family na ‘anak mahal na mahal ko kayo. Alagaan niyo ang sarili niyo. Wag niyo isipin si mama, okay lang ako. Baka bigla akong malowbatt kasi nga biglaan’. Wala akong charger dun kaya tinitipid ko,” she said.
(I messaged my family, telling them I love them. I also said we may lose connection because my phone will run out of battery. I don't have a charger, so I'm saving it.)
(I asked my husband to take care of our children, and I told him I loved him. I saw the militants burning houses. I also saw dead soldiers and civilians. I cannot go out of the house out of fear that somebody might shoot us.)
Tolentino said she also heard continuous explosions, but her employer’s house did not have a shelter. She later told her employer that she wanted to go back to her family in the Philippines.
“Nung nang-goodbye po ako, hinawakan niya po niya 'yung face ko saying, 'God bless, you take care, and sana bumalik ka sakin'. 'Yun 'yung last na word niya. I don't know if I'm going to see her again, kasi po kaming mga umalis na dun ay di na makakapagtrabaho uli but I wish na ma-try ko pa po mag-visit kahit na tourist visa lang just to see the family again,” she added.
(When I bid goodbye, they told me that may God bless me and that I come back to them. I don’t know if I’m going to see her again. I hope I can do so through a tourist visa just to see the family again.)
The Filipino workers said one of their colleagues was left in Abu Dhabi as she was not permitted to fly due to high blood pressure.
The repatriates are set to receive cash aid worth P50,000 from the Department of Migrant Workers and OWWA. They will also be provided with education assistance and livelihood assistance.
The DOH will also provide them with psychosocial services, while the DSWD will extend livelihood programs and financial assistance of P35,000 under its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program.
Nineteen more Filipinos in Israel are expected to be repatriated on Friday. —Sundy Locus/VBL, GMA Integrated News
