ILOILO – Forty-three Ilonggo overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) remain safe in Lebanon amid threats of an all-out war between Israeli forces and the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah, according to the provincial government’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO).
The safety of these OFWs has been verified through coordination with Municipal PESOs and Barangay PESO Coordinators at the grassroots level, with updates provided by their relatives and direct messages on the PESO-Iloilo Province Facebook Page, said Cynthia Parcon-Dario, acting head of PESO-Iloilo.
The accounted OFWs hail from the municipalities of Miag-ao, Tigbauan, Calinog, Carles, Barotac Nuevo, Concepcion, San Joaquin, and Santa Barbara.
However, there is a growing concern for one OFW from Concepcion who is near the conflict zone and has expressed a desire to be repatriated.
Data from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 6 showed a total of 1,731 Ilonggo OFWs in Lebanon.
The provincial government recently reactivated its 24/7 emergency hotlines for OFWs and their families, part of the Task Force “Bulig Ilonggo” established under Executive Order 004 series of 2020.
The hotlines are manned by both PESO and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), ensuring immediate response to any inquiries or requests for assistance.
The conflict in Lebanon, primarily between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, has escalated to Alert Level 3, allowing for voluntary repatriation of Filipinos.
The Philippine government, through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and OWWA, is prepared to assist returning OFWs with a post-repatriation program that includes financial assistance of P150,000, along with access to free training and livelihood programs through various agencies like the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Tourism.
“We’re ready. We stand ready to help them upon their return,” said Migrant Workers secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
Last week, the Philippine Embassy in Beirut urged all Filipinos to evacuate as hostilities intensify, with approximately 11,000 Filipinos, mostly in Beirut, potentially affected by the continuing conflict./PN
