Palace: DFA trying to reach undocumented Pinoy workers in Syria

Malacañang on Saturday reassured relatives of undocumented overseas Filipino workers in Syria that Philippine authorities there are trying to reach their loved ones and get them out of harm’s way. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said this is despite limitations in manpower faced by the Philippine Embassy in the war-torn country. “Ang kasamahan natin sa Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), sinusubukan maabot ang lahat na Pilipinong naroon, kasama ang undocumented, para malikas sila or bring them to safety," she said on government-run dzRB radio. She added the instructions to the DFA had been to “try to reach everyone and get them to safety.” However, she admitted there are some limitations that have made the task difficult. “May factors also contributing to why it is becoming difficult, hindi ganoon karami ang tao natin," she said. Valte also declined to comment on arrangements with airlines to give OFWs a free ride home, saying the DFA will have the details on the actual arrangements. Last Friday, the DFA said it is taking advantage of a reported lull in fighting in Syria to intensify efforts to repatriate Filipinos out of the troubled country. It was referring to the withdrawal of rebel forces from Homs, and the possibility of a humanitarian corridor there. DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario said the government’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) will also be sent to set up additional extraction outposts in and around the conflict areas to facilitate the extraction and repatriation of Filipinos. The RRT has personnel from the DFA, Departments of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Interior and Local Government (DILG). It has remained in Syria and continues to help out in the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in conflict areas. The Philippines has declared Crisis alert level 4 over Syria, meaning a mandatory repatriation of all Filipinos from the country is underway. Meanwhile, the DFA reiterated its call to the families of OFWs in Syria, especially those in conflict areas like Homs, Hama, Dara’a, and Idlib, to provide information on the whereabouts of their relatives and their latest contact details. Interested parties may call the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) at (02) 834-3245 or (02) 834-3240. — LBG, GMA News