ILOILO – Six Ilonggo overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) currently residing in Tel Aviv, Israel have declared their situation as “unsafe” but have chosen to stay for the sake of work and to support their families back home.
According to the Iloilo Provincial Public Employment Service Office (PESO), the six OFWs — two from Pototan town and one each from Leganes, Maasin, Zarraga, and Igbaras — are among those closely monitored due to the Israel-Iran conflict. They have not requested repatriation.
“Every time sirens go off, they run to bomb shelters,” said PESO-Iloilo Manager Cynthia Parcon-Dario.
As of June 24, PESO-Iloilo has accounted for 66 OFWs from the province working in Israel. Of this number, six declared their condition as unsafe, 38 as safe, while 22 have yet to declare their status.
The 38 who declared themselves safe include workers from Maasin (10), Badiangan (4), Cabatuan (3), Balasan (2), Passi City (2), and others from Janiuay, Leganes, Oton, Pototan, San Joaquin, Zarraga, Concepcion, Batad, Lambunao, Barotac Nuevo, Igbaras, Anilao, and Guimbal.
The accounting of OFWs was done through house-to-house visits by Barangay PESO coordinators and local OFW associations who checked on the families and relatives of those working abroad.
Some families also directly reached out through the province’s 24/7 emergency hotlines: 09989905663, 09177543833, 09616804428, and 09167583156.
These hotlines were institutionalized under Executive Order No. 004, series of 2020, which created the Task Force “Bulig Ilonggo” to respond to the needs of OFWs and their families, particularly those in conflict-stricken countries.
Beyond Israel, PESO-Iloilo has also monitored eight more Ilonggo OFWs working in other Middle East countries affected by regional tensions: four in Kuwait, three in Qatar, and one in Iraq. Despite the escalating regional conflict, none of the 74 monitored OFWs have requested repatriation to the Philippines.
PESO-Iloilo said that should any OFW express the need to return home, they are prepared to coordinate with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and other relevant agencies to facilitate their safe return./PN
