DMW: No Pinoys reported hurt, killed amid Israel-Hezbollah war

No Filipinos have been reported hurt or killed amid the continued hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, according to Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac on Tuesday.

"We hope it stays that way at sana mag-improve ang sitwasyon," Cacdac said in an interview on Unang Balita.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging heavy fire with Israeli warplanes carrying out the most intense bombardment in almost a year of conflict across Lebanon's south and Hezbollah firing rockets deep into northern Israel.

The Lebanese health ministry said at least 492 were killed and 1,645 were wounded due to the Israeli strikes. Among the fatalities were 35 children and 58 women, it added.

The Israeli military said it had struck about 800 targets connected to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the area of the Bekaa valley.

According to Cacdac, there are less than a hundred Filipinos in the southern Lebanon, which is near the border with Israel.

"Sa border mismo walang Pilipino pero sa (there are no Filipinos in the border but in the) southern cities and towns around less than a hundred," Cacdac said, adding that most Filipinos in Lebanon are based in Beirut.

Lebanon remains under Alert Level 3, which means voluntary repatriation.

Cacdac said some 430 Filipinos have already availed of the government's free repatriation, nearly a hundred of them just this September.

The Philippine government is urging Filipinos in Lebanon to evacuate while commercial flights are still available.

"We join the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) at ang embahada natin sa Beirut na bilang panawagan ay umuwi na habang bukas pa ang mga airport," Cacdac said.

(We join the DFA and our embassy in Beirut in the appeal for Filipinos to return to the Philippines while airports in Lebanon are still open.)

Immigration processing in Lebanon, for those who would avail of the Philippine government's repatriation offer, will take one to two weeks, Cacdac said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News