63 Pinoys in Haiti to be repatriated amid ongoing violence

Some 63 Filipinos are expected to be repatriated from Haiti due to the ongoing violent gang activities in the Caribbean country, according to Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officer-in-charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac.

In a Sunday Palace statement, Cacdac said that the repatriation comes after Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo approved the recommendation on the declaration of Alert Level 3, or the voluntary repatriation for Filipinos, in Haiti.

Cacdac said that there were 115 Filipinos in Haiti.

The DMW was looking at options on how to carry out the repatriation of the 63 Filipinos since no flights were coming out of Haiti.

Land travel to the capital Port-au-Prince was also discouraged due to gang activities.

Cacdac thus believed that chartering a flight seemed the most viable option.

“As of date, there is no report of any Filipino affected or injured by the ongoing security crisis,” the DMW OIC added.

Cacdac said that concerned government agencies were closely coordinating with Ambassador Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, Honorary Consul General Fitzgerald Oliver James Brandt, and Filipino community leader Bernadette Villagracia regarding the possible repatriation of Filipinos in Haiti.

Haiti is now experiencing a breakdown of law and order due to violent gang activities.

The Reuters wire service reported that tensions were high in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Friday, as attacks continued across parts of the city in the aftermath of the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and in the absence of a clear plan to replace him. — DVM, GMA Integrated News