In Beirut, Lebanon in 2020, I saw bullet-ridden buildings, gun-trotting men roaming the streets and I passed by malls that were padlocked.
At the time, there was an economic implosion because of the hard times, worsened by the pandemic. There was also an explosion that had just ripped through the capital. Distressed Filipinos in the Middle Eastern country, not surprisingly, were desperate to go back home to the Philippines, even though they weren't sure what awaited them in their home country. I was there to cover their repatriation flight back to Manila.
Fast forward to 2024 and the situation has worsened. Overseas Filipinos (OFWs) who chose to stay in Lebanon instead of joining the repatriation flights in 2020, and those who came after, now have no choice but to go home because of the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Israel's airstrikes on suspected Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon continue.
According to the Department of Migrant Workers, a series of nine flights will be available until Oct. 28 as commercial airlines in Beirut have resumed operations.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said in an interview with TeleRadyo that 430 OFWs and 28 dependents have so far returned to Manila since October last year when hostilities flared between Israel and Gaza.
If the 151 OFWs return home as planned, the total number of repatriated Filipino workers will rise to around 600, he said.
The next problem
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Philippine Star.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Philippine Star.
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