PH Embassy in Beirut Repatriates Filipinos in South Lebanon
Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat (center) and Vice Consul Mark B. Ponce (leftmost) with the overseas Filipino repatriates. (Beirut PE photo)
BEIRUT 11 September 2024 – The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon repatriated 67 Filipinos from 02 to 09 September 2024. This number included four Filipino spouses of Lebanese nationals, six children of overseas Filipinos (OFs), and 57 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
As of writing, the embassy received 1,173 applications for voluntary repatriation, of whom 439 have been repatriated since Alert Level 3 was raised in October 2023. However, there were also those who withdrew their applications due to a variety of reasons, citing the lack of employment opportunities back home and the difficulty of integrating their children into Philippine society.
Among those repatriated are a Filipina mother and her 3 children who are residents of Nabatieh, one of two governorates in southern Lebanon most affected by the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The family decided to avail of the government’s voluntary repatriation program after regularly hearing loud explosions in their area, coupled with the ongoing political and economic crisis in Lebanon.
The series of repatriations are being facilitated by the Philippine Embassy’s Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Section, the Migrant Workers Office (MWO), 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 Embassy strongly urges all Filipino nationals to avail of the voluntary repatriation program considering the worsening security situation in the country. Applicants may access the repatriation program through this link: https://tinyurl.com/2024Repatriation or call the Migrant Worker’s Office’s hotline at +96179110729. END
A family living in Nabatieh with Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat. Four of them– the Filipino mother and three minor children– were repatriated that same day. (Beirut PE photo)
Overseas Filipinos lining up to board their flight. (Beirut PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.beirutpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinLebanon/.