(UPDATES) VIENTIANE, Laos — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered concerned government agencies to mobilize all assets and evacuate Filipinos affected by the crisis in the Middle East “by whatever means.”
The President convened a meeting via Zoom with some Cabinet secretaries to discuss the situation in conflict areas in the Middle East amid his hectic schedule on the sidelines of the ongoing 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and Related Summits here.
“We are now going to evacuate our people by whatever means — by air or by sea,” Marcos said during the meeting with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, and the Philippine envoys in the Middle East.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. convened a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, directing all concerned government agencies to mobilize resources for the safe and timely repatriation of Filipinos affected by the crisis in the Middle East. Photo from Presidential Communications Office
“Make all the preparations so that all our assets will be ready. If we will get a ship, it will just be near Beirut. We’re just waiting for the embassy to give us clearance and say that our people can go. With that, we can easily evacuate our kababayan so that they will no longer wait in dangerous areas,” he added.
Marcos assured Filipinos that the government was on top of the situation, saying that his administration prioritizes the safety and welfare of Filipinos.
“We are going to have to evacuate them. Now, the means by which we will do that is something that we still have to determine because it is an evolving situation. So, let’s continue to monitor the situation,” he said.
Teodoro assured Marcos that repatriation would start once they got all the necessary exit clearances.
“We’re ready, willing and able [to repatriate Filipinos] at any time. We’re just waiting for the diplomatic clearances of the expatriates to be processed out of Beirut,” he said when asked about the timeline for repatriation efforts.
Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat said all available measures would be exhausted to expedite the exit clearances to enable the government to proceed with the repatriation.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, who attended the videoconference, told reporters that the meeting “was an urgent call to assess the situation.”
“There was growing tension in the Middle East, and we have to secure our Filipinos there. We wanted to make the security arrangements and assure them that amidst the growing tensions, we secure our Filipinos in the region,” Romualdez said during a chance interview on the sidelines of the Asean summit.
Marcos reassured the public that the government is doing everything to ensure the safety of over 40,000 Filipinos in Lebanon and Israel.
“Our embassies have been coordinating with the Filipino community on this matter and working on securing exit papers and transportation for those returning,” he said.
This month, the President said, the Department of Migrant Workers and OWWA would be bringing home at least 162 distressed overseas Filipino workers from Israel.
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