Manila: Some 141 Filipinos are still in Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Wednesday.
Many of the Filipinos are hesitant or refuse to be repatriated to the Philippines, an official said.
Sarah Lou Arriola, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs, said 45 Filipinos are in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv who do not want to evacuate yet despite the threat of the military conflict.
Meanwhile, 15 are in Lviv which is close to the border of neighbouring country Poland.
Moreover, 55 Filipinos are located close to the border of Hungary who evacuated — but are not yet ready to cross the border to another country.
“Some want to stay there for now. There is this ‘wait-and-see’ attitude,” Arriola said in an interview with Teleradyo, a livestreaming station of Manila-based DZMM radio station.
“The rest are scattered… They are scattered right now but many have already crossed borders.”
According to Arriola, 40 Filipinos have already been evacuated out of Ukraine. However, she noted that some Filipinos refuse — or are hesitant — to be repatriated.
Some Filipinos in Lviv who refuse to be evacuated were instead given financial assistance, said Arriola.
“We’re giving more because there’s really hesitancy since some are married to Ukraine nationals… It’s hard for our countrymen to leave their families.
Some household workers also prefer to stay with their employers, Arriola told local media.
