Department of Foreign Affairs building. (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Over 300 Filipinos in Ukraine were urged to leave the country temporarily amid the threat of an invasion by Russia.
Agusan del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun made the call after the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was monitoring the tension between Ukraine and Russia.
Fortun called on the government to ensure the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Ukraine and neighboring countries such as Belarus, Poland and Moldova.
“Filipinos can either secure in place and care about their Ukrainian employers and friends, or temporarily evacuate the countries just outside of Ukraine through commercial rail and airlines,” Fortun said in a statement on Saturday.
He also urged OFWs in countries adjacent to Ukraine to be alert for developments between Russia and Ukraine. The Philippine embassy in Warsaw, Poland, has reached out to the 300 Filipinos in Ukraine.
Filipinos in Ukraine were advised to contact the Philippine embassy for any untoward event in their areas.
The Philippine embassy in Warsaw has jurisdiction over Ukraine. There is an existing labor deployment ban on OFWs bound for Ukraine.
US officials earlier warned that an attack by Russia on Ukraine could “come within days” as new forces were observed to have arrived at the Ukrainian border.
—JULIE M. AURELIO
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