MANILA, 19 July 2006 — A non-government organization concerned with Filipino migrant workers yesterday chided Philippine officials for being “caught again with their pants down” as OFWs in Lebanon scrambled for safety amid fighting between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah.
“Lack of assistance and evacuation plans for Filipinos in Lebanon shows government neglect, irresponsibility and indifference to plight of OFWs,” the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) said in statement.
“It is outrageous, to say the least, of the Philippine government to say that it would only consider moving out its 34,000 citizens from Lebanon when the situation becomes out of control,” the Hong Kong-based group said.
Lack of funds is a lame excuse for the government’s “slow response,” said the group. “Migrant Filipinos provide billions of dollars worth of remittances and payment for various governments and there is not a single cent allocated for overseas Filipinos under clear and present danger,” it said.
But the government yesterday said it already has an evacuation plan and knows where to get the initial funding.
Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said the $500,000 fund would come from the Overseas Welfare Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and would be used to help Filipinos evacuate through two possible exit routes — by sea from Beirut to Cyprus and by land to Syria.
A memorandum to Defensor from Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Cornejos Jr. said the Philippine Embassy in Beirut was arranging a ship for evacuation to Cyprus.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has assured families of Filipino workers in Lebanon that the government was closely coordinating with countries near the war-torn state to expedite and facilitate their transport to safer places..
“Our contingency plan is in place and we assure the families of the OFWs that the safety of their loved ones is in the good hands of our experienced and competent officials in the area,” said Arroyo.
The Philippine Embassy in Athens has also been instructed to provide assistance in Cyprus, while Philippine officials in Syria were told to prepare entry visas for the Filipinos, according to the memorandum.
Defensor said they were also considering using chartered flights.
In his discussions with Speaker Jose de Venecia, Defensor said the cost of evacuation by ship to Cyprus ranged from $300 to $400 per person.
He acknowledged that the cost of evacuating Filipinos from Lebanon could be more, but said the government was prepared to spend.
“The government is prepared and we are willing to protect them at all cost,” he said.
Defensor said Philippine Embassy officials were instructed to make a report on the workers when they reach either Cyprus or Syria to determine if they wanted to return to the Philippines or be reprocessed to be able to work anew.
At least 115 Filipinos have been sheltered at the Church of the Miraculous Medal, one of the designated relocation areas. Arroyo has thanked the Catholic leaders in Lebanon for taking in the Filipinos.
Help for Thais
Meanwhile, Thailand’s foreign minister said yesterday that the Philippines has agreed to assist Thais in Lebanon who are trying to flee escalating violence there.
“Thailand has asked the Philippines to help with the evacuation of Thais in Lebanon when the Philippines starts evacuating their own people,” Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said after talks with President Arroyo. “The Philippines has shown its readiness to look after Thais as their own nationals,” he said.
Thailand, unlike the Philippines, has no embassy in Lebanon. So far, 15 of the 100 Thais working in Lebanon have been moved to neighboring Syria and will return to Thailand in a couple of days.
Kantathi said the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv was coordinating with the employers of some 29,000 Thais working in Israel in case evacuation became necessary.
He also called on the United Nations to step up diplomatic efforts.
“We are worried about escalation of violence in the Middle East,” he told reporters. “We would like the UN to step in, if possible, to solve the violence by diplomatic means for peace in the Middle East.”
Kantathi had an hour-long meeting with President Arroyo, who made a brief stopover in Bangkok on the way back to Manila after a visit to Libya. (With input from agencies)
