20 March 2013 – Thirty-one (31) Filipinos, all of them women, are scheduled to arrive in Manila today, March 20. The group is the latest batch of repatriates who fled the violence in Syria with the assistance of the Philippine Embassies in Damascus and Beirut.  

The repatriates will be arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal I at 3:55 p.m. on board Qatar Airways flight QR 646.

Upon their arrival, the total number of repatriates from the strife-torn country will reach 3,764.

As in other recent repatriation operations, the group was brought, by land transport, to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport from the Syrian capital, Damascus.     

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterates its call on all Filipinos who are still in Syria to seek immediate repatriation to avoid being caught in the worsening security situation. For assistance, the Embassy in Damascus may be reached at 963-11-6132626.

The relatives of Filipinos in Syria may also provide the DFA with latest information regarding their next-of-kin’s current location and contact details in Syria. Those who wish to do so may call the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) at (02)834-4583 or 834-3240 or the DFA’s 24-hour Action Center at (02) 834-3333. END