Most OFWs in Lebanon unwilling to flee unrest
(UPDATE) THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday that only about 1,000 out of 11,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon were willing to be repatriated despite the escalating tensions in the Middle Eastern country."What we want right now is for our countrymen to indicate who wants to go home while there is still an airport and airlines. If war happens and the airport is closed, that would be difficult," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said. De Vega added that many OFWs in Lebanon seeking repatriation were either undocumented or had recently arrived with less than two years of stay; hence, they were unaccustomed to the tensions in the area.Of the 1,000 who have requested repatriation, 356 have already returned to the Philippines."We also want the Filipinos to leave those areas. They are checking now because those are the areas that Israel might attack," he said, noting the government would shoulder the travel expenses of those who wish to return home, as Beirut is now under Alert Level 3, allowing for voluntary repatriation.Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon, in coordination with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), conducted a consular outreach in Zahle, one of the country's largest cities, on August 25.The initiative aims to ensure that OFWs in Lebanon are documented and informed of their welfare benefits as OWWA members. It also gave them the opportunity to register for the upcoming 2025 Philippine midterm elections.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
(UPDATE) THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday that only about 1,000 out of 11,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon were willing to be repatriated despite the escalating tensions in the Middle Eastern country.
"What we want right now is for our countrymen to indicate who wants to go home while there is still an airport and airlines. If war happens and the airport is closed, that would be difficult," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said.
De Vega added that many OFWs in Lebanon seeking repatriation were either undocumented or had recently arrived with less than two years of stay; hence, they were unaccustomed to the tensions in the area.
Of the 1,000 who have requested repatriation, 356 have already returned to the Philippines.
"We also want the Filipinos to leave those areas. They are checking now because those are the areas that Israel might attack," he said, noting the government would shoulder the travel expenses of those who wish to return home, as Beirut is now under Alert Level 3, allowing for voluntary repatriation.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon, in coordination with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), conducted a consular outreach in Zahle, one of the country's largest cities, on August 25.
The initiative aims to ensure that OFWs in Lebanon are documented and informed of their welfare benefits as OWWA members. It also gave them the opportunity to register for the upcoming 2025 Philippine midterm elections.
