MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 7, 2012) – Some 225 Filipino workers have sought refuge at the Philippine embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus as they await emergency repatriation to escape the strife in the Western Asian nation.
Syria has waived the Filipinos’ exit visa following a negotiation by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario to allow the workers to leave the country.
The migrant’s rights group called Migrante-Middle East has welcomed the Syria’s decision to waive the required exit visa or clearance for some 225 Filipino workers who are temporarily seeking refuge at the Philippine Embassy in Damascus.
“While we welcome the Syria waiver on exit visa clearances so that the 225 stranded OFWs could be repatriated, the DFA honchos should have done this last year,” John Leonard Monterona, Migrante’s regional coordinator, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
OFW refers to overseas Filipino workers.
He noted that the public and various OFW groups have been demanding in the past from the Department of Foreign Affairs to assess the deteriorating peace and order condition in Syria so that an appropriate evacuation and repatriation plan have promptly been implemented by the Philippine government without waiting for the situation to deteriorate.
Monterona said the lives and safety of the stranded OFWs have been compromised by the late action of the Philippines to negotiate for the exit visas of the workers. He said there are still a considerable numbers of OFWs still trapped in Syria where pro-democracy groups are fighting oppressive government forces.
“To our conservative estimates, there are still around 2,000 OFWs trapped all over Syria, awaiting to be rescued and evacuated, aside from those 225 Filipinos now housed at the Philippine embassy,” he said.
“It is not yet mission accomplished. Evacuation efforts to secure our fellow OFWs in safe refuges are still wanting, and it’s the most difficult task. The Philippine government through the DFA must continue to explore with the Syria govt. how the remaining trapped OFWs all over Syria could be rescued and evacuated to safer places and eventually be repatriated,” he added. (Mindanao Examiner)
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