Pinays hesitant to leave Gaza because of 'love'

MANILA, Philippines - Unless their Palestinian husbands are allowed to evacuate with them, some of the Filipinas residing in the Gaza Strip are hesitant to be repatriated to the Philippines, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr said the situation in Gaza is so fluid because of the changing number of Filipinos who want to avail of the government's repatriation plan. There are 108 Filipinos currently in Gaza, children included, 20 of whom are married to Palestinians. Only one is considered an overseas Filipino worker, Isabelita Balala, a domestic helper from Tarlac. Initially, the DFA reported that 70 Filipinos, mostly women and children, would arrive in Manila on Monday. The number was trimmed down to 66, then to 13, until finally only six confirmed their plans to leave the conflict-ridden area as of posting time. Conejos explained that some of the Filipinas find difficulty in leaving their Palestinian husbands after the Israeli government only allowed Philippine citizens and their children to move out of Gaza. The Filipino women retained their Philippine citizenship despite an average of 15 years of residency in the Gaza Strip. Conejos reported that these women also hold a Palestinian identity card. "These (women) are not contract workers," Conejos said, "These are people who have attached roots there." Most of the Filipinas met their husbands in the early 90s, Conejos said, as throngs of Palestinian students went to Manila to study. Despite their well-organized repatriation plan, Conejos stressed that they cannot force the Filipinos to return home. The DFA official said they might face sanctions from the UN should they force such rules. "In times of war, no other entity can guarantee their safety other than the nationals (themselves). The ultimate responsibility is on them," Conejos said. DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal told reporters that the situation in the Gaza Strip is different from the past repatriation plans in Lebanon where approximately 30,000 Filipino workers were returned home. Cristobal said the Filipinos this time are not definite with their plans despite the ensuing conflict in Gaza. "It must really be love," he said. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV