DFA raises Alert Level 3 in Haiti amid 'unstable security situation'

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has raised the alert level in Haiti to 3, mandating voluntary repatriation.

Alert Level 3 also prohibits the deployment of new and returning Filipinos to Haiti.

In an advisory, the DFA said Alert Level 3 was raised "in view of the current unstable security situation in [Haiti]."

There are 169 currently recorded Filipinos in Haiti, with the majority of them residing in Port-au-Prince, the DFA said.

"Filipinos living in Haiti are advised to remain vigilant, to avoid public places, and to restrict non-essential movement," it added.

A human rights group has reported wide spread killing, kidnappings, and abuse.

Haiti citizens await the replacement of a prime minister who resigned from his post.

Reuters reported that under international pressure and stranded in Puerto Rico, Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation pending a temporary replacement a week ago, but the council set to choose his replacement has yet to be appointed.

More than 10 bodies were removed by ambulance from the affluent neighborhood of Petion-Ville on the outskirts of the Haitian capital, according to a Reuters witness on Monday. — BAP/KBK, GMA Integrated News