30 Distressed Filipinos from Lebanon Return Home Before Christmas

MANILA 22 December 2019 — A total of 30 distressed Filipinos from Lebanon arrived in Manila this afternoon just in time for Christmas.

The first batch of repatriates, who are alleged to be victims of trafficking in persons as there is an existing deployment ban to Lebanon, arrived via Etihad Airways flight EY 0424. Aside from the victims, there are also some five minor children who completed the group.

"This is the kind of commitment we give to our OFWs under this administration. Time and again, we are ready to serve whenever, wherever," said Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola, who herself leads a repatriation team now in the Middle East.

Just before leaving Beirut, the group of repatriates expressed their heartfelt gratitude to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. for their unwavering commitment to serve the interests of the overseas Filipino workers.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Brigido J. Dulay led the welcoming group from the DFA to ensure that the repatriates' needs were properly attended to.

Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar of the Department of Justice (DOJ) was also present to welcome the repatriates.

The DFA likewise flagged the member agencies of the the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) so the victims can pursue filing cases against their illegal recruiters.

IACAT is the body mandated by law to coordinate and monitor the implementation of Republic Act No. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

The DFA's Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs sent a Rapid Response Team to assist the Philippine Embassy in Beirut to manage the repatriation amidst the deepening financial difficulties in Lebanon.

The Migrants Workers' Affairs unit shouldered the cost of the victims' repatriation to Manila and/or their home provinces, as well as the immigration costs and penalties. The repatriates were also gifted with financial assistance amounting to USD 100 to help them tide over as they return home with almost nothing. END

(DFA Photo by Charlyn Lau)