MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered on Wednesday the evacuation of Filipinos in Lebanon as the Philippine government braced for an escalation of tensions in the region amid Israel’s invasion and increasing bombardment of civilian sites.
More than 11,000 Filipinos are living and working in Lebanon, which has faced a string of Israeli attacks that began in mid-September, with pagers exploding at shops and hospitals across the country, followed by relentless bombing targeting densely populated areas.
Israeli forces have killed more than 2,000 people across Lebanon and wounded over 9,800, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The UN estimates that over 1.2 million people across Lebanon have been displaced by escalating Israeli attacks, which include airstrikes and an expanding ground invasion that began on Oct. 1.
On Wednesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanon could face destruction “like Gaza.”
Manila has so far evacuated at least 511 Filipinos, while around 1,000 who have applied for repatriation with the Philippine Embassy in Beirut are still waiting for the government to bring them to safety.
“We are now going to evacuate our people by whatever means — by air, or by sea,” Marcos said during a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by heads of key government agencies, including Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
“Just make all the preparations so assets will be nearby. If we charter a ship, then it will be near Beirut so once the embassy gives us the clearance and they say that our people can go, we can bring them out as soon as possible,” Marcos said.
The government has yet to determine the method of evacuation due to the “evolving situation,” he added.
Manila has placed Lebanon under its “Alert Level 3” since last October, which calls for Filipinos there to voluntarily return home.
In the last few weeks, Filipino workers in Lebanon have been urging the Philippine government to speed up their repatriation amid deadly Israeli attacks escalating in the region.
But many are facing legal difficulties to do so, including permission from employers and official clearance to leave.
Teodoro told Marcos that the government is prepared to evacuate Filipinos but are waiting for the Lebanese government to give them clearance.
“We’re ready, willing and able (to repatriate Filipinos) at any time. We’re just waiting for the diplomatic clearances of the expatriates to be processed out of Beirut,” he said.
