Tolentino: Gov't must act fast to repatriate OFWs in Sudan

Senator Francis Tolentino, vice chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, said Tuesday that the government must move fast in evacuating around 400 Filipinos in Sudan as the clock continues to wind down in the 72-hour ceasefire between the warring factions in the country.

“The government should hire buses at once to ensure their quick repatriation given the deteriorating condition in Sudan. We should likewise seek the assistance of Egypt. And from Cairo, we can fly them to Manila,” said Tolentino. 

Egypt, which is near Sudan, currently has an active diplomatic mission with the Philippines. 

Senate foreign relations chair Senator Imee Marcos, meanwhile, emphasized how the government should seize the opportunity to bring home Filipinos stuck in the conflict-torn country during the 3-day ceasefire.   

"Mukhang malala ang sitwasyon at hindi naman natin alam kung talagang gagalangin ang sinasabing ceasefire nang matagalan. Habang may panahon at pagkakataon, sana iuwi na natin sa lalong madaling panahon,” Marcos said in an ambush interview.

(The situation looks bad and we don't know how long the ceasefire will hold. We hope we can repatriate Filipinos as soon as possible while there's a chance.)

The lawmaker also considered the need for a chartered flight to rescue the Filipinos in Sudan, similar to what other states are doing to its constituents.

“Malamang kailangan din nating gawin yon dahil 400 Filipinos is quite a large number and will probably take more than a single flight. Malayo-layo rin ang Sudan at hindi rin available ang mga direct flight papunta doon at kinakailangan na rin pagisipan na,” she said.

(We may have to do that because 400 Filipinos is quite a large number and it will take more than a single flight. Sudan is quite far and there's no direct flight going there, we need to study our options.)

Earlier in the day, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the government is preparing to evacuate more Filipinos during the 72-hour ceasefire.

According to the President, the government wants to take advantage of the ceasefire to bring home more Filipinos.

So far, 50 Filipinos have been evacuated out of Khartoum, Sudan amid the ongoing clashes between the Sudanese military and a paramilitary group, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the first batch of Filipino evacuees left Khartoum by land at 8 p.m. (Manila time) yesterday.

From there, the Filipinos were expected to reach Aswan in Egypt and then its capital, Cairo.

The DFA has said there are at least 300 Filipinos in Sudan who sought assistance so they could go back to the Philippines and that 156 of them have complete documents and could be evacuated anytime.

The violence in Sudan erupted between the forces of the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: the army chief and his deputy, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. —VAL, GMA Integrated News