DFA: 27 more Pinoys expected to arrive from Syria

A batch of 27 Filipino repatriates from strife-torn Syria is scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.   The DFA said the 27 Filipinos, all women, will arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) aboard Emirates Airlines (EK) flight no. 334.   "The 27 Filipinos, all female, are distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were temporarily sheltered at the Embassy's halfway house while negotiations with their Syrian employers and with the Syrian authorities were conducted by the Embassy for the issuance of their exit visas," the DFA said in a news release. Of the 27 women, two were from the conflict-stricken governorate of Homs.   The latest batch includes the Filipina who had problems with her immigration papers and failed to go with the previous batch of Filipino repatriates who arrived on February 25.   Earlier, the DFA requested the next-of-kin of Filipinos in Syria to provide details about the whereabouts of their relatives.   The Philippine government had raised the crisis alert level to "4" over Syria. This involves the mandatory evacuation of all Filipinos from Syria.   The DFA requested interested parties to call the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) at (02) 834-3245 or (02) 834-3240. - VVP, GMA News