Del Rosario in Syria to step up repatriations of OFWs

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario left for Syria Monday night to speed up the repatriation of more than 1,000 Filipino workers trying to escape the increasing violence there.

“We were given a clear mandate by the President to ensure the safety and welfare of Filipinos in Syria. We want to facilitate the immediate repatriation of as many Filipinos as possible,” Del Rosario said in a statement released Tuesday.

He said a multi-agency team is now in Syria “to extract Filipinos from conflict areas and help speed-up the repatriation efforts, which are being spearheaded by the Philippine Embassy in Damascus.”

Del Rosario is accompanied by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis.

Some of the obstacles the government faced until recently was having to pay refunds to Syrian employers for unfinished contracts and fees levied by the Syrian government.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Tuesday that the Philippine government has now obtained waivers from employers.

Hernandez said that 16 Filipino workers were expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon while 10 more were expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon via Emirates flights. He said that this latest batch of 26 OFWs would bring to 2,124 the total number of repatriates from the conflict-stricken country.

He said Del Rosario would be staying in Syria for about two days.

In earlier interviews with reporters, Seguis said that 3,735 Filipinos have registered at the Philippine Embassy in Damascus for repatriation, the largest number of Filipinos who have sought evacuation since the Philippine government mounted a mandatory repatriation plan in March 2011.

In April and December 2011, Del Rosario also went to Damascus to personally seek the assistance of the Syrian government in looking after Filipinos there.

Last July, Seguis also left for Damascus and was able to cut a deal with the Syrian government when it agreed to waive the exit visa fees, penalties, and requirements for 140 Filipino workers who were brought home last July 30 to August 1. In a statement, the DFA said the deal saved the government more than $100,000.

Hernandez also said that with Del Rosario’s trip to Syria, the DFA hoped that they would be able to negotiate the waiver of fees for all the other Filipinos left in Syria.

He said they would also continue to get the support of the Filipino leaders in convincing the Filipinos to come back and be repatriated soon.

“Our campaign is ongoing and we hope that more Filipinos would signify their interest to be repatriated especially now that the exit or ordinary exit points are still open,”  Hernandez said.

Syria has been under the DFA’s crisis alert level 4, where mandatory evacuation of Filipino workers is in effect, since late last year. With a report from Associated Press