The Philippine Air Force (PAF) said yesterday they are ready to conduct possible mass repatriation of Filipinos in Lebanon as tension in the Middle East escalates further with nations around the world marking the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched in cities around the world over the weekend calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
In Washington, more than a thousand protesters demonstrated outside the White House, demanding the United States, Israel’s top military supplier, stop providing weapons and aid to Israel.
One man attempted to set himself on fire, Agence France Presse (AFP) journalists saw, succeeding in lighting his left arm ablaze before bystanders and police extinguished the flames.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters also gathered in cities across Europe, Africa, Australia and the Americas to demand an end to the conflict, which has killed nearly 42,000 people in Gaza.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas militants attacked Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, most of them civilians, according to an Agence France Presse (AFP) tally based on official Israeli figures.
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel launched a blistering military campaign in Gaza, vowing to destroy Hamas and bring back the hostages.
Until now at least 41,825 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry.
The United Nations have acknowledged the figures to be reliable.
PAF Spokesperson Colonel Maria Consuelo Castillo told the Manila Standard that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are capable of organizing massive evacuation efforts through the air force personnel and our C130 planes.
“Regarding this, the PAF is a force provider for AFP-directed missions. If in case called upon by higher headquarters to assist in the evacuation/repatriation of Filipinos from conflict areas overseas, the PAF is capable for such missions using our heavy airlift aircraft such as the C130,” Castillo said.
Flight cancellations going to and from Lebanon delayed the repatriation of over a dozen Filipinos there.
Fifteen overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were supposed to be flown back to the country this week. They were originally scheduled to depart Lebanon last Sept. 25, but their flights were rescheduled anew following recent explosions in Beirut.
Of the 15, three OFWs, including one with a medical condition, are rescheduled to fly home on Oct. 11, while the remaining 12 will join 17 other OFWs who are set for repatriation on Oct. 22, “barring unforeseen circumstances,” according to the Department of Migrant Workers.
The DMW added that the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Beirut is also arranging the repatriation of 63 more OFWs with complete documentation and clearances to leave Lebanon.
Castillo, however, said that no other details regarding that mission can be shared as of this time.
Meanwhile, Israel placed its forces on alert Saturday ahead of the anniversary of Hamas’s assault, after a military official said the country was preparing its retaliation for Iran’s missile attack.
The alert came with Israel engaged in an intensifying war with the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said would be hit “without concession or respite.”
Ahead of Monday’s grim anniversary, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a televised briefing: “We are prepared with increased forces in anticipation for this day,” when there could be “attacks on the home front.”
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called Iran an “ongoing threat” after Tehran, which backs armed groups across the Middle East, on Tuesday launched around 200 missiles at Israel in revenge for Israeli killings of top militant leaders.
As this developed, Sen. Imee Marcos called on the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers to evacuate all Filipinos from danger areas in Lebanon and to repatriate them to the Philippines as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately, the circumstances in Lebanon may worsen as there is no sign that the hostilities will cease any time soon. For all intents and purposes, the situation is already an Alert Level 4 Crisis. More civilians, including Filipinos, will undoubtedly be in harm’s way. This is a risk that the Philippine Government should never take,” the senator said. AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Philippine Air Force on alert for possible mass repatriation of Filipinos from Lebanon”
