DFA: 21 Pinoys repatriated from Syria

A new batch of 21 Filipinos has been repatriated from Syria, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Damascus, the DFA said the 21 were to arrive aboard a Qatar Airways flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Thursday night. "Most of the Filipino repatriates were household service workers (HSWs) who expressed their desire to come home due to labor-related issues with their respective employers," the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a news statement posted on the government website. It added that six Filipinos were repatriated last Tuesday while a seventh arrived home from Damascus Wednesday. The Embassy said it and the Overseas Preparedness and Response Team with a 10-member Rapid Reaction Team (RRT) for Syria negotiated with Filipino repatriates’ employers for the immediate release of their exit visas. Last Sept. 6, the RRT arrived in Syria to help the Philippine Embassy in its efforts to repatriate Filipinos in the country. The team is composed of officials from the DFA, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). Alert Level 3 has been in effect over Syria since August 16, with the Philippine government urging Filipinos there to go home. Under Alert Level 3, voluntary repatriation at government’s expense will be offered to Filipinos who wish to leave Syria. In Manila, the DFA has organized the Task Group on Voluntary Repatriation-Syria. Contact information Relatives of Filipinos in Syria living in the Philippines may call the following numbers: 834-4617, 834-4618, 834-4619, 834-4620, 834-4621, 834-4622, 834-4623, 834-4624, 834-3245 and 834-3240 (from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Sunday); 834-3333 and 834-4997 (from 8 P.M. to 8 A.M., Monday to Sunday). They may also send text messages at +639275768621 or +639158445546. Queries and request for assistance may also be sent via email at dfa.repat@gmail.com or pe.damascus@gmail.com. Filipinos in Syria may likewise call the Philippine Embassy in Damascus at the dedicated hotline numbers +96311-6132626 (landline), and +96393-2176214 and +96399-0270464 (mobile) to seek assistance and information from the Embassy. — RSJ, GMA News