24 October 2014 - Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Yemen Ezzedin H. Tago met with the Filipino community in Aden and Sana’a on October 17 and 20, respectively.
In both meetings, Ambassador Tago provided the Filipino community updates on the current political and security situation in Yemen, and strongly urged the community to help the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, which has jurisdiction over Yemen, in encouraging Filipinos to assess their personal security situation in view of the issuance of Alert Level 3 (voluntary repatriation) for Yemen.
During the meetings, Ambassador Tago stressed the following:
- Filipinos in Yemen must make a personal assessment of their circumstances vis-à-vis the current situation in that country, and take positive steps towards avoiding situations that could endanger their safety and security.
- They must be prepared to leave Yemen anytime. Their passports must be valid and in their possession; they must ensure they have legal residence and have an exit or exit/re-entry visa, have enough cash to purchase a ticket and other incidental expenses.
- They must ensure that their labor contracts comply with Philippine and Yemeni standards, and contain clauses that allow their immediate repatriation in emergency cases.
- They must coordinate with their employers for their repatriation to the Philippines.
- They must be in constant communication with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, the Philippine Honorary Consul in Yemen and the community coordinators.
- They should immediately register online at the Philippine Embassy’s website or update their registration (www.riyadhpe.dfa.gov.ph). Filipinos are requested to include a valid cellphone number, as the Embassy will send SMS advisories through these numbers.
- They must consider leaving Yemen as early as possible before the situation deteriorates further.
The Philippine Embassy’s Crisis Management Team in Sana’a may be contacted through +967 73384 4958.
The Philippine Embassy will regularly issue advisories to Filipinos in Yemen. END