Marcos orders mobilization of assets for repatriation of Pinoys in Middle East

VIENTIANE — At the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. directed concerned government agencies to mobilize all available assets to ensure the safe and timely repatriation of Filipinos who are affected by the crisis in the Middle East.

The Philippine President convened an online meeting with some Cabinet secretaries to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

On Wednesday, the Presidential Communications Office said present in the Zoom meeting were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año.

''We are now going to evacuate our people by whatever means – by air, or by sea,” Marcos said, telling Cabinet officials to strictly monitor the situation.

“And, just make all the preparations so that malapit na lahat ng asset natin (so that all our assets will be ready). Kung may barko tayong kukunin, nandiyan na malapit na sa Beirut na sandali lang basta’t the Embassy gives us the clearance and they say that our people can go, mailabas na kaagad natin so that hindi sila naghihintay ng matagal in danger areas," he added.

(If we will get a ship, it will just be near Beirut. We're just waiting for the Embassy to give us clearance and say that our people can go. With that, we can easily evacuate our kababayans so that they will no longer wait in dangerous areas.)

Teodoro said the Philippine government is ready to repatriate Filipinos affected by the crisis in the Middle East, but the government is still waiting for the exit clearances from Lebanon.

“We’re ready, willing and able [to repatriate Filipinos] at any time. We’re just waiting for the diplomatic clearances of the expatriates to be processed out of Beirut,” Teodoro said.

Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat told Marcos that all available measures will be exhausted to expedite the exit clearances to enable the government to proceed with the repatriation.

Hostile situation

In his speech during the meet and greet with the Filipino community in Lao PDR, Marcos mentioned that he has been talking with concerned officials about the repatriation of Filipinos who have been affected by the hostile situation in Israel and Lebanon.

''Kaya’t ngayon lang – kanina nga ay pinag-uusapan namin kung papaano namin gagawin upang maiuwi ang ating mga kababayan na nasa Lebanon, ‘yung iba nasa Israel. Nagigitna – nandoon sila sa lugar na medyo delikado kaya’t palagay – dahil talagang nagkaka-giyera na doon,'' Marcos had said.

(We are talking about the repatriation of our fellow Filipinos in Lebanon... some are in Israel. They are in those areas that are dangerous because of the war there.)

In the meeting with Cabinet officials, Marcos also assured Filipinos that the government is on top of the situation amid the ongoing crisis, saying that his administration prioritizes the safety and welfare of Filipinos in the region.

Filipinos in Israel have been advised to avoid several areas in the Middle East, including parts of Israel and Lebanon because of the increasing tensions in the area.

The advice came after Israel dropped bombs on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hezbollah rockets that landed in Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city located in Northern Israel, over the weekend.

According to Israel, their objective was the safe return of Israeli residents to their home in Northern Israel. — RSJ/KBK, GMA Integrated News