DFA: 21 stranded PH officials in Israel safely evacuated to Jordan

Twenty-one stranded Philippine government officials safely crossed into Jordan from Israel amid its escalating conflict with Iran, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

Of this number, 17 officials attended an agricultural technology training that began June 10 and is supposed to officially end June 20. Two were congressmen, nine mayors, four vice mayors, and two regional directors.

The other four are specialists from the Department of Agriculture on the dairy industry.

"The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv actively coordinated with the Philippine Embassy in Jordan, relevant authorities, and made the necessary representations with the Israeli government in support of this mission," the DFA said.

In Amman, Philippine diplomats made formal representations to Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the Jordanian Border Security to secure entry clearance for the officials, it added.

The group was met by Philippine Ambassador Wilfredo Santos at the King Hussein Border, where they were provided with the necessary assistance and issued transit visas "at no cost to the Philippine government," the DFA said.

In the next few days, the Philippine embassy in Jordan is expected to receive the first group of Filipino workers who will be evacuated from Israel, the DFA said.

In a separate radio interview, Philippine ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola-Rau said the 21 Filipinos will travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates where they will take a flight to Manila. 

Israel and Iran have traded missile strikes for a week, trapping civilians and foreign nationals on both sides of the conflict, triggering international alarm.

There are around 30,000 mostly Filipino caregivers in Israel and over 1,000 in Iran.
The Philippines is one of the world’s top labor-exporting nations, with about 10 million skilled and unskilled workers scattered abroad, exposing them to civil strife and armed conflict, abuses, and unfair labor practices.

Remittances from Filipino migrant workers constitute a significant source of the country’s foreign exchange, as they send home over $35 billion per year. —BAP/ VAL GMA Integrated News