DFA: First batch of Filipino repatriates from Lebanon to arrive Friday

The first batch of Filipinos departing from Lebanon will be arriving in the Philippines on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon that 165 Filipinos are awaiting repatriation considering the tension between Israel and Hezbollah militants coming from southern Lebanon.

“Itong Biyernes, may darating na first batch pero mga lima o anim lang sila. Tapos sa Biyernes mismo, sa Lebanon, may lilikas pa,” he said.

(The first batch will arrive on Friday, but only about five or six of them. On Friday also, more Filipinos will leave Lebanon.)

Around 17,500 Filipinos are currently based in Lebanon.

On October 21, the DFA raised Alert Level 3 in Lebanon, making the repatriation for Filipinos there voluntary.

Despite this, De Vega admitted that many Filipinos decide to stay in Lebanon because of work, and some believe that the situation in Beirut is “business as usual.”

“We hope mas maraming sasagot dito at makauwi,” he said.

(We hope more people will respond to this and choose to go home.) —KBK, GMA Integrated News