22 OFWs from Syria to arrive in Manila Tuesday

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday said that 22 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Syria, the first batch for 2013, will be arriving in Manila on Tuesday.

In a statement, the DFA said that the 22 Filipinos from the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo will arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

“The repatriates travelled by land to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport where they took Qatar Airways flight QR 423 to Doha and then flight QR 644 to Manila,” it said.

“Their arrival will bring the total number of repatriates to 3,310,” it added.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario went to a quick trip to Lebanon and Syria on December 22 last year to “review and intensify” the government’s efforts to repatriate Filipinos caught in the civil strife, as it was expected that the situation would continue to deteriorate.

The DFA had earlier noted that Del Rosario met with officials from the Syrian foreign affairs ministry and expatriates, Ambassador Hamzeh Dwalibi and Ambassador Majd Aldeen Nashed, and was able to secure the officials’ assurance of the Syrian government’s continued support for the ongoing repatriation program of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the DFA urged Filipinos who are still in Syria to immediately avail themselves of the mandatory evacuation program, and contact the Embassy for assistance at 963-11-6132626.

The DFA also said that the next-of-kin of Filipinos in Syria may call the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) at (02) 834-4996 or the DFA Action Center at (02) 834-3333 to provide the DFA with latest information regarding their relatives’ current location and contact details in Syria.