At least 22 Filipino workers are reportedly being blocked by their employers from returning to the Philippines.
According to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), 86 Filipinos have already been repatriated in October with 70 more expected to arrive in the coming week.
However, many remain stranded due to issues with exit clearances from Lebanese authorities and resistance from employers who refuse to release them.
“We’re making our services more available. We have hotlines,” DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac assured.
“We have transport even in areas where people need to be brought to the shelters from their homes, from anywhere in Beirut. We have roving teams there that check,” he added partly in Tagalog.
The Philippine Embassy is verifying reports that some Filipinos are stuck in public squares and other areas, struggling to find temporary shelters.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) highlighted that only a fraction of the estimated 11,000 Filipinos in Lebanon have been successfully repatriated.
“Since last year, just over 500 have returned home,” said DFA officials, adding that efforts are hampered by logistical challenges and slow visa processing.
“We need to understand that for our countrymen in Lebanon, it is their home,” said DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega, explaining that some Filipinos remain hesitant to leave despite the growing risks.
Lebanon has been under Alert Level 2 since 2006, which suspended the deployment of new Filipino workers to the country.
“In other words, we are not deploying there,” De Vega emphasized, noting that the current focus is to bring home those already in Lebanon.
