MANILA, Philippines - Another batch of Filipino workers from conflict-stricken Syria arrived in Manila on Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman reported.
Quoting a report from Charge d’ affaires Olivia Palala of the Philippine Embassy in Damascus, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said 76 OFWs had availed themselves of the government’s offer to repatriate them to the Philippines.
Hernandez said that of the 76 Filipino workers, 14 came from the conflict areas in Homs and Hama.
Two were former Muslim students who decided to be repatriated because they could no longer continue their studies owing to the unrest in Syria.
“The distressed women OFWs were temporarily sheltered at the embassy’s halfway house while negotiations with their Syrian employers and with Syrian authorities were conducted for them to be issued exit visas,” Hernandez said.
The OFWs arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, on three separate flights; 33 were on board EK332 and arrived at 4:20 p.m. ; 40 OFWs arrived on flight QR 644; and three arrived on flight QR 646.
“The airline tickets of the 32 OFWs traveling via Emirates Airlines were provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) - Damascus,” Hernandez added.
So far, 771 OFWs from Syria have been repatriated since the beginning of the political crisis there early last year.
There are about 5,000 OFWs in Syria, most of them undocumented.
Earlier this year, DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario went to Damascus to facilitate the implementation of the repatriation program.
Under this program, the Philippine government will shoulder the cost of repatriation.
However, earlier reports revealed that no Filipinos wanted to be repatriated to Manila for lack of economic opportunities. Another reason cited was that most of the OFWs are undocumented.
On December 22, the DFA raised alert level 4 in Syria due to the heightening tension and violence between pro-democracy groups and loyalists of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/22945/76-more-workers-back-from-syria
