30 July 2014 - The continuing collaborative efforts among the Philippine Embassies in Beirut, Lebanon and in Damascus, Syria and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to evacuate Filipinos from war-torn Syria resulted in the successful repatriation of another batch of 26 Filipinos on July 24. The IOM shouldered the expenses for the airfare, land transportation and meals of the repatriates.
Philippine Consul Dennis John Briones and Assistance-To-Nationals Officer Dexter Macaraeg, along with IOM personnel, facilitated the entry of Filipino repatriates at the Masna’a border, while Consul Briones and Embassy Collecting Officer Alberto Bansil were at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut to assist the repatriates as they underwent airline and immigration procedures. During the same-day cross-border operation, the repatriates were directly escorted from Masna’a to the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut.
The repatriates arrived in Manila on July 25 at 10:10 P.M. via Emirates flight EK 334.
This 54th cross-border operation involving 26 Filipinos brought to 5,450 the total number of Filipinos repatriated from Syria. Of this number, 2,417 were returned via the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut since the first cross-border operations began on December 12, 2012. END