An initial group of thirty-four (34) Filipino nationals who had been caught in the armed conflict in Gaza arrived in Manila. They were welcomed by Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, together with officials of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA), the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare & Development (DSWD), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), as well as Rep. Ron Salo of Kabayan Party-List. The Filipino evacuees are composed mostly of spouses and dependents of Palestinian nationals.
Their journey out of the conflict zone was facilitated through intense, round-the-clock coordination between the DFA headquarters and the Philippine embassies in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, as well as through painstaking diplomatic efforts led by the Secretary for Foreign Affairs in reaching out to several foreign governments. “President Marcos had been deeply concerned about the condition of our kababayans in Gaza, and therefore he constantly issued guidance for us to do everything necessary to bring them home”, Secretary Manalo shared.
The evacuees are part of the hundreds of foreign nationals who have been so far allowed to leave Gaza, as the territory has seen intense fighting and challenging humanitarian conditions over the past weeks. They entered the relative safety of Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, and were afterwards received by the Philippine Embassy in Cairo. From there, the Embassy facilitated their repatriation using the Department’s Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Fund.
“This would not have been possible without the determination and courage of our DFA personnel, especially those in our Embassies in Tel Aviv, Cairo, and Amman”, said Secretary Manalo. “We are also very grateful to Israel, Egypt, and Qatar for extending assistance in the departure of our nationals”, he added.
Meanwhile, operations are still ongoing to arrange the exit of more Filipinos from Gaza, with another group being processed at the Rafah border crossing. Secretary Manalo stated that the DFA is strongly committed to perform its mandate of upholding the welfare of Filipinos overseas, and conveyed that no efforts will be spared to bring all of the affected nationals home.
