Manila: The Philippine government has allocated funds for the repatriation of some 5,000 overseas Filipino workers from Syria, to save them from the intensifying political tension there, a senior official said.
"We have enough funds for this. We will be using emergency funds on top of the government's Assistance to Nationals funds (allocated for OFWs)," said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Raul Hernandez.
The budget department has allocated more funds for the repatriation in case more money is needed, said Hernandez, adding that the government will pay for the air fare, deployment cost and exit visa permit of the OFWs.
"The 5,000 OFWs we are bringing home are both documented and undocumented," said Hernandez, adding there is no discrimination in the assistance extended by the government.
Meanwhile, the Philippine embassy in Syria asked OFWs to keep communicating with the embassy regarding their whereabouts, and their scheduled date to leave Syria.
The Manila office of the foreign affairs department activated hotline numbers such as 834-3245 and 834-3240, so that OFWs in Syria could contact their relatives, said Hernandez.
"Hopefully, before the end of this month, we will repatriate some OFWs again," said Hernandez.
Protests
Fatal and dangerous protests have continued against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's regime, prompting the Philippine government to raise alert level four, the critical situation there.
This alert level calls for government's implementation of mandatory repatriation of OFWs.
Last week, the Philippine embassy in Syria repatriated some 51 OFWs. A total number of 383 OFWs have been repatriated from Syria.
The hotline number of the Philippine Embassy in Syria is 00963 116 132626. Families may also e-mail their requests and concerns through the Embassy's e-mail address pe.damascus@gmail.com, said Hernandez.
