05 September 2013 – Twenty-three (23) overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Syria arrived in Manila at 10:55 a.m. today via Gulf Air flight GF 154.
They were assisted throughout their stay in Lebanon by the personnel of the Philippine Embassies in Beirut and Damascus (Damascus PE).
The personnel were divided into two teams. The “shelter team” composed of Assistant Labor Attaché Irma Valiente, Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Resource Center (MWOFRC) Houseparent Gina Murillo and Damascus PE local hire Alma Balili stayed with and assisted the OFWs during their stay at the Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center (CLMC) with the invaluable help of CLMC personnel.
The airport team composed of Vice Consul Dennis John Briones and Labor Attaché BulyokNilong fetched the OFWs from the shelter and sent them off at the Rafik Hariri International Airport.
Philippine Ambassador Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz once again officially conveyed the deep appreciation of the Philippine Government to CLMC for making available its shelter free of charge for the use of the Filipino repatriates from Syria.
This particular batch of repatriates, along with 45 OFWs (totaling 68) was evacuated from Syria to Lebanon during the 29th cross-border operation last August 30 through the joint effort of the Embassies in Damascus and Beirut. Their immediate evacuation from Syria and transfer to Lebanon due to the tense security situation in Syria was the result of effective representations made by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis who was in Damascus recently.
The remaining 45 OFWs at the Caritas Shelter are scheduled to arrive in Manila tomorrow at 04:20 p.m. via Qatar Airways flight QR 646. Upon their arrival the number of repatriates will reach 4,636.
With the departure of the 23 OFWs, the Embassy in Beirut has repatriated a total of 1,582 Filipinos from Syria via the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut. END