DFA: Contingency plan in place if war breaks out in Lebanon

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday said that contingency measures have been prepared for Filipinos in Lebanon should there be external attacks there coming from Israel.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said that currently, Alert Level 3 remains hoisted in Lebanon, meaning Filipinos there may repatriate voluntarily. However, they may raise Alert Level 4 and call for a mandatory evacuation once there is a “large-scale internal conflict or full-blown external attack” in the area.

“Mandatory kung there’s a total breakdown of peace and order. For example Gaza, giyera na eh, and we’re hoping hindi umabot do’n. Pangalawa, kailangan handa na ang mga chartered planes at mga ships. Eh hinahanap pa lang natin ‘yan ngayon,” the DFA official said in an Unang Balita interview.

(There will be a mandatory evacuation if there's a total breakdown of peace and order. For example in Gaza, there’s a war, and we're hoping Lebanon doesn't get there. Chartered planes and ships must also be ready. Right now, we are still looking for that.)

“Kapag mag-announce tayo ng Alert Level 4 tapos wala pang 1,000 ang uuwi, then it’s a failure. At saka ayaw natin magbigay ng alarmist situation kasi normal pa naman ang buhay sa Lebanon,” he added.

(It will be a failure if we announce Alert Level 4 and then only less than 1,000 Filipinos will go home. Also, we don't want to create an alarmist situation because life is still normal in Lebanon.)

De Vega said that Beirut, which is the capital of Lebanon, is not a war-zone as of the moment. Despite this, the Philippine government has been strongly urging the Filipinos there to avail of the repatriation services or evacuate to a safer place.

He said there are more than 11,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, but only less than 10% of them have signified to go back to the Philippines.

A total of 356 Filipinos have gone home from Lebanon, while over 700 are still awaiting to be repatriated, pending their exit clearance.

“Habang pwede pa, we want to repatriate as many as possible kaya meron tayong voluntary repatriation,” De Vega said.

(While it is still possible, we want to repatriate as many as possible that’s why we have voluntary repatriation.)

The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon on Friday night (PH time) issued an advisory to Filipino citizens for them to leave Lebanon immediately while the airport is still open.

Meanwhile, those who are unable to leave Lebanon were urged to evacuate to safer areas outside of Beirut, South Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley.

Filipinos who would like to avail of repatriation were asked by the Embassy to fill out a form.

Filipinos may also contact the following numbers for further assistance:

For all OFWs (documented or undocumented): +961 79110729

For overseas Filipinos (Dependents with Permanent Resident Status, i.e., wife iqama): +961 70858086.

— RSJ, GMA Integrated News