DFA: 19 more Pinoys repatriated from Syria

At least 19 more Filipinos were repatriated from Syria Thursday night, bringing to 186 the total number of those brought home from the troubled country since March. The Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday the 19 Filipinos arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport aboard a Qatar Airways flight. "Most of the Filipino repatriates, all females, were household service workers (HSWs) who expressed their desire to come home to the country due to labor-related issues with their respective employers," it said. DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Special Assistant Atty. Enrico Fos welcomed the repatriates at the NAIA. Also present at the airport were representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). The DFA said the Philippine Embassy and the Overseas Preparedness and Response Team with a 10-member Rapid Reaction Team (RRT) for Syria negotiated with the Filipino repatriates' employers for the release of the Filipino workers' exit visas. The RRT arrived in Syria last September 6 as augmentation personnel to the Embassy in its efforts to repatriate Filipinos in the country. It includes 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). Charge d'Affaires Ricardo Endaya, the Embassy personnel and the RRT team had intensified their efforts to repatriate Filipinos in Syria, which has been rocked by violent protests against the government. Last Aug. 16, the DFA raised Alert Level 3 in Syria, which entails voluntary repatriation at the Philippine government's expense. In Manila, the DFA has organized the Task Group on Voluntary Repatriation-Syria. 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. — LBG, GMA News