MANILA, July 12 ------ The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it is closely monitoring the situation in Lebanon, as the fighting between the Hezbollah group and Israeli troops continues. Last year, the DFA placed Lebanon on Crisis Alert Level 3 which allows voluntary repatriation for Filipino citizens. However, only 293 of the 17,000 Filipinos in Lebanon have so far availed of the government’s free repatriation offer. Another 561 are on the list.
The DFA said it is advisable not to wait for Alert Level 4 which already means an external attack requiring mandatory evacuation of Filipinos. “Pinag-iisipan pa kung gagawing mandatory…the Israeli’s clearly are indicating that they will do what it takes to get the Hezbollah to stop the attacks, which we know historically would mean they might undertake operations in Southern Lebanon and of course, there is still this international move para hindi mag-escalate. But we are doing everything to prepare. For example, galing akong Cyprus because that would be the evacuation point if necessary,” said Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega.
De Vega also said some countries are already moving their citizens out of Lebanon. “In fact, ang position now ng surrounding governments, including Cyprus, if you’re going to require our help para kung saan sila dadalhin, repatriate them now habang may commercial flights….There are countries tulad ng Saudi Arabia I believe who are calling their citizens to go home na. So let’s hope na one, hindi umakyat yung tension and 2, kung hindi bumaba, right now it’s tensed no, sana umuwi na yung mga kababayan natin,” De Vega said.
Fears of a widespread regional conflict in the Middle East persist as Israel continues to attack militants in Gaza, as part of its retaliatory action for the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 individuals. However, some reports are claiming that Israel’s attacks have so far claimed the lives of 186,000 Palestinians, triggering protests against genocide, all over the world.
The Philippines is among the nations calling for a ceasefire, due to the war’s impact on Filipinos. “We always join the calls including voting sa resolutions in the UN calling for a ceasefire kasi connected yan sa ating mga kababayan. There’s 17 who are still being held, we are in touch with the families…our political decisions regarding resolutions, the calls in the Middle East are not intended to indicate that we’re being not friendly with Israel, we’re worried about our kababayans,” De Vega explained.
The Hezbollah and Houthis are part of a regional betwork of armed groups backed by Iran. The Houthis have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea since November to show solidarity with Gaza. These Houthi sea attacks have already resulted in actual harm and death. Last March 2024, 2 Filipinos were among 3 seafarers who perished from a Houthi attack on the vessel MV True Confidence. Another Filipino seafarer also remains missing on MV Tutor after it was hit and later sunk by Houthi missiles.
Seventeen Filipinos are also among a 25-man crew still being held hostage by the Houthis in Yemen, since November 2023. De Vega said they are safe, and the Philippine government continues to work on getting them home safely. “There is word the ship might run out of its fuel because it’s been operating for several months on its fuel na hindi naman lumalabas. You need the fuel to operate the machineries, and so we’ll see what the Houthis decide kung mangyari yon…wait and see but also hoping na, working, you know caling on Israel and the international community to end this conflict in Gaza,” De Vega said.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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