21 Filipinos to arrive from Syria

MANILA, Philippines—Twenty-one Filipinos fleeing violence in Syria were set to arrive Thursday night in Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The Filipinos, mostly domestic helpers, would be arriving from Damascus onboard a Qatar Airways flight, the DFA said in a statement.

“Most of the Filipino repatriates were household service workers who expressed their desire to come home due to labor-related issues with their respective employers,” it said.

On orders of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Charge d’Affaires Ricardo Endaya of the Philippine Embassy in Damascus has been intensifying efforts to repatriate Filipino nationals in Syria.

On August 16, the DFA raised the alert level to 3 in Syria, urging the 17,000 Filipinos, most of them domestic workers, to leave amid the escalating violence there. Under Alert Level 3, voluntary repatriation of Filipinos is in effect.

In Manila, the DFA has organized the Task Group on Voluntary Repatriation-Syria.  Relatives of Filipinos in Syria living in the Philippines may call the following numbers: 834-4617, 834-4618, 834-4619, 834-4620, 834-4621, 834-4622, 834-4623, 834-4624, 834-3245 and 834-3240 (from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M., Monday to Sunday); 834-3333 and 834-4997 (from 8 P.M. to 8 A.M., Monday to Sunday).

They may also send text messages at +639275768621 or +639158445546.

Queries and request for assistance may also be sent via email at [email protected] or [email protected].

Filipinos in Syria may likewise call the Philippine Embassy in Damascus at the dedicated hotline numbers +96311-6132626 (landline), and +96393-2176214 and +96399-0270464 (mobile) to seek assistance and information from the Embassy.