63 Filipinos in troubled Haiti seek repatriation

At least 63 of the 115 Filipinos in Haiti have asked the Philippine government to bring them home due to widespread gang violence.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said they were looking to charter a flight for the Filipinos concerned.

“No flights are coming out of Haiti and land travel to the capital Port-au-Prince is also discouraged,” the three agencies said in a joint statement.

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The DFA on Sunday placed Haiti under alert level 3, which called for voluntary repatriation. “Haiti is currently experiencing a breakdown of law and order, with reports of civilian casualties and disruption in operations,” the agencies said.

However, they added that there were no reports of any Filipino injured or affected by the ongoing security crisis. —DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN