PH Embassy Sends Home 23 Distressed Filipinos from Lebanon

Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat (fifth adult from the left) with the second batch of Overseas Filipinos who are permanent residents and dual citizens. (Beirut PE Photo)

BEIRUT 16 November 2023 — The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon repatriated a total of 23 distressed Filipino nationals between 8–10 November 2023. The second batch includes three Filipino migrant workers holding valid Lebanese work permits, seven undocumented Filipino migrant workers, and thirteen overseas Filipinos who are permanent residents in Lebanon. 

The repatriates expressed their gratitude to the Embassy for facilitating their return to the Philippines during the Crisis Alert Level 3 in Lebanon. Among the repatriates is a family living in Beit Lif, barely six kilometers away from the border, where the school of their children was included in the structures destroyed due to the heightened tension in the southern border of Lebanon.

The second batch of Overseas Filipinos lines up to the check-in area. (Beirut PE Photo)

Overseas Filipinos, including dependent children, boards their flight to the Philippines. (Beirut PE Photo)

The Philippine government raised Alert Level 3 in Lebanon due to the heightened tensions in the southern border of Lebanon and rolled out a voluntary repatriation program starting 21 October 2023 for affected Filipino nationals. The series of repatriations are being facilitated by the Philippine Embassy’s Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Section, the Migrant Workers Office, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The Embassy continues to monitor the situation across Lebanon and provides updated safety measures and advisories to Filipino nationals. The voluntary repatriation program remains open to Filipino nationals who wish to return to the Philippines, through this link: https://tinyurl.com/2023Repatriation. END

For more information, visit https://www.beirutpe.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.facebook.com/PHinLebanon/.