DFA prepares to repatriate about 100 Pinoys in Gaza

THE Philippine government will deploy a rapid response team to the Gaza Strip as it prepares to repatriate Filipinos amid escalating hostilities between Israelites and Palestinians there, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said that the DFA will augment the personnel currently in the Philippine Embassies in Tel Aviv and in Cairo.

“Our priority is [ repatriating] the more than 100 Filipinos in Gaza Strip,” Hernandez said.

The Foreign Affairs department said that the 41,000 Filipinos staying in Israel are “relatively safe,” since some of them are staying in public safe houses there.

Although, there has been no request for assistance from any Filipino, Hernandez said that the government does not want to be caught flat-footed once the situation worsens.

“We want to be prepared for any eventuality,” he said.

“They [rapid response teams] will help in the re-mapping operations to find out where the Filipinos are in Gaza and prepare for eventual evacuation. We wanted to be proactive when the time comes to pull them [Filipinos] out of harm’s way,” he explained.

He also disclosed that it was President Benigno Aquino 3rd who ordered the deployment of teams that will be composed of officials from the Foreign Affairs, Labor, and the Interior and Local Government departments.

The team that will be deployed to Egypt will be headed by Ambassador Eric Endaya, while the team bound for Tel Aviv will be led by Petronila Garcia, Foreign Affairs assistant secretary for Middle East and African Affairs.

“They will be there for some time until the situation stabilizes,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez admitted, however, that there are “apprehensions” from the part of the Filipinos to leave their livelihood and their families in the Gaza Strip.

Most of the Filipinos residing there are married to Palestinians.

“The problem is they would not leave if their spouses will not come with them. If there is a need to repatriate, we have to repatriate their spouses [also],” Hernandez said.

The Foreign Affairs official said that the department is open to the idea that the Palestinian spouse of a Filipino may be repatriated to the Philippines as well if proper documents are prepared.

There are two exit points that the Philippine embassy officials there have already defined for possible repatriation. One of the exit points will be near the border of Egypt, while the other one will be at the border of Jordan.