Pinoy evacuees from Ukraine reach Poland

A number of Filipinos who evacuated from Ukraine amid attacks from Russia have safely reached Poland, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Sunday.

The 13 Filipinos traveled to Lviv, a Ukrainian city near the Polish border, and from there crossed to Poland.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. was at the Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne Border Crossing Station in Poland to welcome the Filipinos, as seen in a video shared by the DFA. Food and bottled water were then distributed to the evacuees.

WATCH: 13 Pilipinong lumikas mula sa Lviv, Ukraine sa gitna ng umiinit na tensyon sa pagitan ng Russia at Ukraine, sinalubong ni @DFAPHL Sec. @teddyboylocsin sa Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne Border Crossing Station sa Poland. | via @mamutuesday

(????: DFA) pic.twitter.com/yc09d9h0Mu

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) February 26, 2022

Locsin on Friday said he was traveling to the Ukranian border to ensure the safety of Filipinos and oversee the government's efforts to relocate or repatriate them to the Philippines amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The DFA on Saturday reported that more than 40 Filipinos have evacuated from Kyiv to Lviv and were then awaiting repatriation.

“‘Yung nandoon sa Lviv, more than 40 po ‘yun, pero ‘yung lumikas lang [ay] 13. Ang nangyayari sa amin ngayon, maraming Pilipino ang nagre-reach out pero ayaw talaga muna nilang umuwi,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said in Super Radyo dzBB interview on Sunday

[More than 40 Filipinos were in Lviv, but only 13 evacuated to Poland. What is happening here right now is there are a lot of Filipinos reaching out to us, but they don’t really want to go home to the Philippines.]

She said that some Filipinos prefer to stay because of their good working conditions, some still hope that the situation would get better, while others have married Ukrainians.

In a statement, the DFA noted that Locsin arrived in Poland on Saturday afternoon after attending the European Union (EU) Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in Paris, to help welcome the first group of Filipino evacuees.

“We are on high-alert 24/7 to ensure that Filipinos are safe in this conflict. Our Embassies in Poland and Hungary have been working hard these past days to account for each Filipino in Ukraine, and to repatriate them as soon as possible. Our people only need to ask, and we will get them home safe,” said Locsin.

Arriola said that these 13 Filipinos need to undergo COVID-19 testing before they go home to the Philippines.

“Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa Poland because they gave a humanitarian corridor. Kasi ang Poland, iba na ‘yung visa system niyan eh. Walang visa ang mga Pilipino pero pinapayagan nilang pumasok,” she said.

[We are thanking Poland because they gave a humanitarian corridor to the Filipinos. Poland has a different visa system, yet they let the Filipinos enter their country despite not having a visa.]

According to a tweet on Friday by Arriola, Philippine Ambassador to Poland Leah Basinag-Ruiz received in Lviv 37 Filipinos who traveled the whole day from Kyiv.

The Filipinos were accommodated in a hotel in Lviv, as Ruiz said the Philippine Embassy will assist them in leaving Ukraine and entering Poland so they could board their flights on the way home to the Philippines.

"Repatriation is our department's top priority," Arriola said in a press briefing Thursday. "We are on standby to assist our kababayans. We will use all available means to bring them home."

Aside from the 13 Filipinos who evacuated to Poland, Arriola reported there were three more who crossed Ukraine to Moldova. She added that Moldova has also opened its borders for non-visa and passport holders.

Despite the Russia-Ukraine tension, Arriola said the government has maintained Alert Level 2 in Ukraine. According to DFA, Alert Level 2 or the restriction phase is issued if there are “real threats to the life, security, and property of Filipinos arising from internal disturbance, instability, or external threat.”

She said that the alert status may be raised to Alert Level 4 or the mandatory repatriation if the situation in Ukraine becomes “fatal or very life threatening.”

On the other hand, Arriola noted that there are about 8,000 Filipinos in Russia, many of whom are household service workers.

“So far, wala naman po talagang pangangailangan na ilikas sila. But we are in close contact with all our posts in Europe. In fact, ‘yung ibang mga posts natin sa Europe, magbibigay sila ng augmentation team sa Warsaw para tulungan itong evacuation process,” she said.

[So far, there is really no need to evacuate them. But we are in close contact with all our posts in Europe. In fact, our other posts in Europe will provide an augmentation team in Warsaw to help in this evacuation process.]

Russia began attacking Ukraine on Thursday with cruise missiles and shells. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said Ukraine forces have been repelling Russian troops advancing on Kyiv.

The DFA urged Filipinos in Ukraine to immediately contact the Philippine Embassy team in Lviv or the Consulate General in Kyiv should they require any assistance.

Those who wish to be repatriated may get in touch with Philippine authorities through the contact details listed on the DFA website. —KG/BM, GMA News