Aquino sends rapid response team to help Syria OFWs

Upon instruction of President Benigno Aquino III, several key departments will deploy on September 6 a 10-member rapid response team to boost the Philippine embassy staff in Syria where 562 Filipinos have asked to be sent back home. The team is composed of officials from the Departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Labor and Employment, National Defense, and Interior and Local Government. Last August 16, the DFA raised Alert Level 3 for voluntary repatriation from Syria. Filipinos in Syria may call the embassy in Damascus at the hotline numbers +96311-6132626 (landline), and +96393-2176214 and +96399-0270464 (mobile) for assistance and information from the embassy. The DFA also has a Task Group on Voluntary Repatriation attending to relatives of Filipinos in Syria living in the Philippines. The task group may be reached through the following numbers: From 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. (Monday to Sunday): 834-4617, 834-4618, 834-4619, 834-4620, 834-4621, 834-4622, 834-4623, 834-4624, 834-3245 and 834-3240. From 8 P.M. to 8 A.M. (Monday to Sunday): 834-3333 and 834-4997. They may also send text messages at +639275768621 or +639158445546. The task group also has email addresses: dfa.repat@gmail.com or pe.damascus@gmail.com. — ELR/VS, GMA News