PH Ambassador Discusses with Israeli President Filipino Victims of Hamas Attacks in Israel
President of Israel Isaac Herzog (third from right) and First Lady Michal Herzog (third from left) with Philippine Ambassador to Israel Pedro “Junie” Laylo, Jr. (second from right) together with fellow ambassadors from Thailand, Nepal, and Tanzania at a meeting on 02 November 2023. (Tel Aviv PE photo)
TEL AVIV 09 November 2023 – Philippine Ambassador to Israel Pedro “Junie” Laylo, Jr. joined fellow ambassadors from Thailand, Nepal, and Tanzania at a meeting on 02 November 2023 called by President Isaac Herzog to personally convey his condolences on the death of their nationals in the brutal Hamas attacks in southern Israel on 07 October 2023. The meeting also discussed missing and hostaged foreign nationals.
Ambassador Laylo and President Herzog talked about the four Filipinos – Angelyn Aguirre, Grace Cabrera, Paul Vincent Castelvi, and Loreta Alacre – who were murdered during the attacks. The Ambassador informed the President that some of them were killed while taking care of their wards.
The envoy added that the Embassy continues to request confirmation and additional information on the possible kidnapping of the two remaining Filipino nationals – Gelienor Pacheco and Noralin Babadilla.
“I thanked President Herzog for the IDF’s rescue of Filipinos who were trapped in the kibbutzim attacked by Hamas and expressed my hope that they would also find our two missing kababayan”, Ambassador Laylo said.
For his part, President Herzog said that he knows the story of Camille Jesalva, the Filipina caregiver who offered her saving to Hamas gunmen to save the Israeli grandmother she is taking care of. The President also highlighted the importance in Israeli society of Filipino caregivers who take care of his country’s elderly.
Ambassador Laylo also interceded for the 134 Filipinos in Gaza who are waiting to be allowed to exit into Egypt. The Philippine Embassy in Israel continues to assist the Philippine Embassies in Jordan and Egypt by coordinating with relevant Israeli security agencies for the approval of the exit of Filipinos in Gaza.
Accompanied by his wife, Michal, President Herzog held the meeting at his residence in Jerusalem. END
For more information, visit https://www.telavivpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.org.il, https://www.facebook.com/PHinIsrael/, or https://twitter.com/PHinIsrael.