The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, raised on Monday the crisis alert level in Ukraine to Alert Level 4 as Russia’s military invasion kept inching towards the capital of Kyiv.
Under Alert Level 4, the DFA will enforce the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in Ukraine, at government expense, with Filipinos in Ukraine assisted by the Philippine Embassy in Poland, the DFA said.
Several Filipinos, including at least 21 seafarers, have returned to Manila, while others have fled to neighboring countries, the DFA said.
There were still around 116 Filipinos in Ukraine, whose 44-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky had joined his troops in bunkers waiting for the advancing Russians.
The DFA said in a statement three groups of Filipino evacuees, along with their dependents, arrived in Manila Sunday.
The latest arrivals came from the capital city of Kyiv and other areas in the western part of Ukraine.
The first group, consisting of four Filipino adults, three Filipino-Ukrainian children with their three Ukrainian mothers, arrived in the afternoon via a Qatar Airlines flight.
The second group of two Filipino adults, a Filipino-Ukrainian child, and his Ukrainian mother arrived in the evening.
The third group consists of three Filipinos who arrived in Manila on their own arrangements.
The Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kyiv assisted the evacuees in traveling from Kyiv to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, while the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw provided for their transportation, accommodation, and meals, DFA said.
The Embassy also arranged for their travel documents and visas, RT-PCR tests, and their eventual flights to Manila, it added.
As of last Thursday, 93 Filipinos had left Ukraine of the 209 that the DFA was able to account for, according to DFA Undersecretary Sarah Arriola. Some 45 Filipinos remain in Kiev, she said.
Meanwhile, former Philippine ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Baja Jr. warned of a possible replication in Asia of what was happening in Ukraine.
At the online “The Alphan Forum” of the University of the Philippines Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity, Baja said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would have significant impact not just in Europe, but in Asia as well.
He pointed out how a major power might also invade other countries.
“What the Philippines should do is to watch out for two possible developments. One, the possibility of China thinking of a similar operation vis-a-vis Taiwan and vis-a-vis the West Philippine Sea. And two, scrutiny, watch out on the current US’ so-called pivot to Asia,” said Baja.
He added: “What happened in Ukraine will give them the opportunity or the chance or whatever to do the same in Taiwan. That will be more existential for us, considering the geographical proximity and the number of Filipinos there.”
Several political analysts also said at the forum that the crisis in Ukraine would be prolonged as it was also shifting and strengthening alliances and relationships of nations.
Prof. Benjamin Muego said: “What is happening in Ukraine now is in some ways reminiscent to what happened in Afghanistan from 1979-1989.”
“This conflict in Ukraine is far from over. This will continue,” he added.
Prof. Temario Rivera said: “If there is no immediate diplomatic solution or politically negotiated solution to this crisis, it will really strengthen alignments, you have the US, NATO, and the EU against possibly also a stronger alliance between Russia and China.”
Baja, who was also a former president of the UN Security Council, said the Philippines should not be neutral in global issues.
“Neutrality, non-alignment is going out of fashion. I would advise we don’t fence sit on important political and economic issues. Develop
our own national strength and take a position,” Baja said.