MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 1, 2012) – The Philippines on Wednesday raised its alert level over Iraq because of surge in terror attacks and sectarian violence in the country.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has made the announced and said it raised Alert Level 3 over most of Iraq, except the northern autonomous region of Kurdistan, near the border with Turkey.
This was prompted by the higher than expected surge in terrorist and sectarian violence in Iraq following the withdrawal of United States military forces in December 2011, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario.
Del Rosario has ordered the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad to contact and urge all remaining overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Iraq to avail of the DFA’s repatriation offer.
Under Alert Level 3, Filipinos who wish to leave Iraq are offered voluntary repatriation at government expense. A ban on the further deployment of OFWs is automatically imposed in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment.
Filipinos are likewise advised not to travel to the affected areas while Alert Level 3 is in effect.
There are currently 192 Filipino workers in Iraq’s Kurdish Region and 279 in the rest of the country that are registered with the Philippine Embassy.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has assured Del Rosario that they are ready to provide any assistance to the Philippine Government’s repatriation efforts. Embassy officials will also meet with the respective employers of Filipinos who will choose to stay in Iraq, in order to review the security protocols of those companies.
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