MANILA, Philippines – Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Lebanon are urging the Philippine government to fast track its repatriation program and help address existing issues as tension and violence continue to escalate in the region.
Some of these OFWs on Sunday, September 29, aired their grievances over what they call a “very slow” process involving the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon.
“Maraming gustong umuwi na nahihirapan sa proseso,” Rachel, whose last name is withheld for her safety, said during a press conference organized by Migrante International. “Hinahanapan kami ng passport, pero ayaw naman ibigay sa amin ng mga employer.”
(A lot of OFWs want to go home but are having a hard time because of the process. They are asking for our passports, but our employers do not want to give them to us.)
There are over 11,000 documented OFWs in Lebanon, where conflict continues to unravel between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group aligned with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
As early as August 16, the Philippine embassy in Lebanon already urged Filipino citizens to leave the country “immediately while the airport remains operational.” In an advisory posted on September 19, the embassy said that it “strongly urges all Filipino nationals to CONSIDER leaving the country while commercial flights are still available” while those who “intend to remain for any reason are advised to exercise extreme caution.”
Those who want to avail of repatriation assistance are asked to fill out a form where it is explicitly stated that each application will be assessed by Lebanese General Security — the country’s immigration services — for the issuance of an exit clearance.
OFWs, however, said that these clearances are highly dependent on feedback from their employers who usually refuse to let them go due to various reasons, including the hefty fees paid to agencies.
Another OFW, Christine Lao, said that she has been waiting for feedback for almost a month already. She said that she and her family live five kilometers from Dahieh, a neighborhood in Beirut that has been targeted by massive Israeli airstrikes in recent weeks.
“Sa tagal ko na dito sa Lebanon, ni minsan hindi ko gusto kong umalis, pero ngayon, gustong-gusto ko na umuwi,” she said. “Huwag nila hahayaan na may mabuwis na buhay bago sila kumilos para matulungan kami.”
(I’ve stayed here in Lebanon for so long and I never felt the urge to go back to the Philippines until now. I hope the Philippine government doesn’t wait until Filipinos get killed before they help us.)
The DMW said that a total of 403 OFWs have been repatriated from Lebanon as of September 15, including 55 dependents.
Mark Aquino, coordinator for Migrante Middle East, said that the Philippine government should look into reaching out directly to the Lebanese government to improve the process and get more Filipinos to safety.
“Dapat magkaroon na ng top level usapan, gobyerno sa gobyerno, na payagan na at huwag na padaanin sa mahirap na proseso ang mga gustong umuwi,” he said. “Marami na ang gustong umuwi [kasi] ibang iba na ang sitwasyon ngayon.”
(There should be a top-level discussion, government to government, so that they can allow our OFWs to go home without going through the difficult process. A lot of them want to go back to the Philippines already because the situation is becoming worse.)
In a statement on Sunday, Senator Risa Hontiveros called on DFA and DMW to repatriate OFWs “as soon as possible.”
“Dapat may mga nakalatag nang contingency plans ang ating mga ahensya sakaling lumalala ang sitwasyon,” she said, adding that she trusts that agencies “are exhausting all options to ensure the security, safety, and welfare of OFWs.”
(There should be contingency plans in place in case the situation gets worse.) – Rappler.com
