54 Pinoys in Israel seek repatriation amid Middle East conflict —envoy

At least 54 Filipinos in Israel have expressed interest to be repatriated amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,  Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola said Monday.

In an interview on Unang Balita, Mendiola said there were 32 tourists and 22 overseas Filipino workers who have signified interest to return to the Philippines.

"Sa talaan namin may 54 na request for repatriation, 32 ang mga turista na nastranded dito, may 22 na OFW na nagsignify, 'yung interest nila to repatriate," she said.

She said the biggest challenge is how to move them as there are no flights in or out of Israel. 

"Again ang challenge kung paano sila imo-move. Una siguro 'yung mga turista kasi wala silang bahay dito so nakikipag-coordinate kami sa Ministry of Tourism ng Israel kung paano mamo-move pati dun sa travel agents nila. 'Yun nga lang, I have to emphasize, mahirap  dahil 'yung ibang land crossings sarado, walang eroplano," she said.

This is the same challenge they are facing in bringing the remains of Mary Ann Velasquez De Vera back to the country. 

"Sa ngayon, I think it is not possible (na mauwi) kasi walang airport na bukas kahit na sa karatig na mga bansa. Alam naman ng asawa niya ang sitwasyon, walang way for us to do that kahit gustong gusto namin. Kahapon pinag-uusapan namin, ng mga team members natin kung paano ang mabilis, kung paano 'yung pagpapauwi ng bangkay at nung asawa niya, may isa pa s'yang kapatid sa Qatar yata," Mendiola said.

De Vera, a 32-year old Filipina caregiver and native of Pangasinan, was killed during a missile attack in Tel Aviv on the evening of February 28.

Asked about the OFWs who wanted to fly back to Israel to return their jobs, Mendiola advised them to wait for the situation to ease up.

"Ang suggestion ko manatili muna sa Pilipinas, to ride it out d'yan sa Pilipinas until magbukas ang airspace," she said. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs said there are 2.5 million Filipinos in Middle East, most of them are in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. It added 800 Filipinos are in Iran.

For emergencies, Filipinos may contact the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) at (+632) 1348 (international), 1348 (Metro Manila), and (02) 1348 (regional, mobile number).

The United States and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran on Saturday, escalating tensions in the region.

The Israeli military said Iran retaliated with missile strikes on Israel.

The Pentagon has officially designated the American strikes as Operation Epic Fury. —AOL, GMA Integrated News