INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines – Forty-three more Filipinos from Syria will be arriving in Manila Tuesday as repatriations from the strife-torn country intensified, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.
In a statement, the DFA said that the 43 Filipinos will arrive at 4 p.m. Tuesday via Emirates flight EK 332. Their air tickets were shouldered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
This latest batch, the DFA said, would bring to 2, 878 the total number of repatriates from Syria.
The DFA said 35 other Filipinos housed in the Philippine embassy in Damascus were also considered “travel-ready” and would be coming back to Manila as soon as airline seats become possible.
Last week, 315 Filipinos were repatriated in batches and in flights sponsored by the IOM.
The repatriations followed high level visits to Syria by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, during which they clenched a deal for the Syrian government to waive exit visa requirements and penalties for outbound Filipinos.
Meanwhile, the DFA urged relatives of Filipinos in Syria to provide latest information regarding their relatives’ present location and contact details in Syria by contacting the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) at (02) 834-4996 or (02) 834-3333.
Filipinos in Syria may also contact the Embassy for assistance at 963-11-6132626.