By Liezelle Soriano
DESPITE the standby funds and personnel to assist Filipinos in Israel, Department of Migrant Workers officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said Tuesday that it not yet safe to repatriate Filipinos from Israel.
“Hindi pa ito ‘yung tamang panahon na mag-mass repatriation… Maselan ‘yung sitwasyon, hindi pa safe,” Cacdac said in a radio interview.
Cacdac explained that safety and security concerns are being considered before they repatriate the Filipinos.
There are 83 Filipinos who have asked for assistance from the Philippine government, 76 were “accounted for,” while seven were “unaccounted for.”
Meanwhile, Cacdac said that there are “no signs” that Filipinos want to go back in the country.
“Sa ngayon, hindi pa natin nadidinig ang pahiwatig na gustong umuwi… Hindi pa natin masabing tiyak na ayaw nilang umuwi… Kasi nandoon pa sila sa sitwasyon na safety is the primodial concern,” the DMW official said.
Some 3,500 Filipinos in Israel have marked themselves safe, according to the survey conducted. However, Cacdac noted that there might be a lot more Filipino who are safe but were not able to answer the survey.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that seven remain unaccounted for and cannot be contacted via their mobile numbers and social media accounts.
“The Philippine Embassy (in Israel) is working non-stop with Israeli security authorities and community contacts to ascertain their condition. We continue to await feedback from them,” DFA Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza earlier said.
Following a surprise strike by the Hamas group last Saturday, Israel declared war and attacked Gaza. (ai/mnm)