398 Negrenses in Lebanon not leaving despite rising tensions

PHOTO: Official Facebook page of the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon

BACOLOD CITY — At least 398 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Negros Occidental have not asked to be repatriated despite calls for them to leave Lebanon amid rising tensions between the Hezbollah and Israel.

Karen Dinsay, provincial manager of the Public Employment Service Office (Peso), said the government had offered assistance to OFWs working in Lebanon who want to be repatriated.

“They will receive assistance from the national government when they arrive at the airport in the Philippines,” she said.

But according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, nobody manifested willingness to return home.

The Negros Occidental provincial government has set up a help desk at the Peso inside the capitol in Bacolod City for relatives of OFWs in Lebanon who may be seeking help.

Records of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration show that 398 from Negros Occidental — 61 of whom are from the capital city of Bacolod — are still in Lebanon.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac earlier said the national government would provide P150,000 financial assistance to every Filipino who would be repatriated from Lebanon.

Dinsay said the governor was also offering an additional P5,000 in assistance to every Negrense who returned home from Lebanon.

“Psychosocial counseling will also be provided but until now, no one has said that they want to come home,” she said.

The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon in August strongly urged all Filipino citizens to leave Lebanon immediately while the airport remained operational.

“We advise all Filipino nationals to prioritize their safety and depart the country as soon as possible,” the statement said.