By Liza Soriano
KABAYAN party-list Representative Ron Salo has proposed the immediate creation of a task force that will monitor and impose decisive action to ensure the safety and well-being of overseas Filipinos amid the war in Israel and Gaza.
This is in light of the escalating situation in Israel and Gaza and the reported capture of Filipino nationals by Hamas militants.
“With the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the risks it poses to our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Filipino nationals in the region, I have filed House Resolution No. 1369 urging the Executive Department to immediately create a crisis management and response task force for the assistance of our countrymen in Israel and Gaza,” the Kabayan party-list representative said.
“This task force, jointly led by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), will be mandated to closely monitor the evolving situation, ensure the safety of our Kabayans, and be fully prepared for any possible contingencies,” Salo, chairman of the committee on overseas workers affairs, added.
There are over 30,000 Filipinos in Israel as of December 2021, DFA spokesman Ma. Teresita Daza said, citing records of Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority.
“The Crisis Management and Response Task Force will work diligently to closely monitor the ongoing conflict and establish effective systems to track the whereabouts and conditions of Filipino nationals in the affected areas, providing around-the-clock updates and assistance as may be necessary,” Salo explained.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv reported that 20 of the 26 Filipinos who were abducted and kidnapped have been rescued.
To ensure a decisive, holistic, and coordinated response of the Philippine government, the members of the task force will include pertinent agencies, including the Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency (NICA), and our dedicated diplomatic representatives led by the Philippine Ambassador to Israel and the Labor Attaché in Israel.
The House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, chaired by Rep.Salo, will also conduct a hearing tomorrow, 11 October 2023, at 1:30 PM on the matter.
This vital session will focus on the current situation of our overseas Filipinos in Israel amidst the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a comprehensive briefing on the efforts by key government agencies involved in ensuring the safety and well-being of Filipinos out there.
(ai/mnm)