By Liezelle Soriano

The government of Egypt has vowed to prioritize Filipinos to move out of Gaza amid the raging Israel-Hamas war as soon as the Rafah border opens a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said Friday.

Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said that the Rafah border is the crossing near Egypt which is the safest way out for Filipinos trapped in Gaza.

“Kinausap ko ang ambassador ng Egypt kahapon at sinabi ng kanilang pamahalaan na bibigyan ng priority ang mga Pilipinong lulusot. Pangako niya ‘yan na bibigyan tayo ng priority sa border,” De Vega said in a radio interview.

De Vega said that he was unable to provide an exact schedule for the opening of the border at this time but that it may happen “within the next 24 hours” or “any day now.”

“Kung hindi man, well at least may positive news tayo na naguusap ang mga pamahalaan. Kasi kung hindi makalabas [ang foreign nationals], eh parang hindi successful ang diplomatic approach ng Presidente ng United States of America,” he added.

Earlier, the Philippines placed Gaza under alert level 4, making it mandatory for Filipinos to evacuate.

(ai/mnm)

By Liezelle Soriano

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is diligently working to locate two missing Filipinos in Israel amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas group a ranking official said.

However, OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio admitted Friday that there haven’t been any recent updates concerning the two missing individuals.

“I fervently hope and pray that they are found, perhaps through a stroke of luck,” Ignacio expressed during a radio interview.

“One of them… the spouse, I personally took her in at OWWA because I felt sympathy for her being there, away from her family, without anyone to turn to. She stayed with us for several days, and we provided her with accommodation to reassure her of our support. Her child was also with her, and we made sure to keep them entertained,” he added.

Despite the lack of updates on the situation of the missing Filipinos, Ignacio assured that OWWA is actively involved in these cases.

In the meantime, authorities are coordinating the repatriation of the remains of the four Filipinos killed in the war.

“We’re arranging the return of the remains of Loreta Alacre from Negros. The flight is scheduled for October 21,” he confirmed.

“I’m just trying to recall all the dates; there are so many of these cases, all happening at once.”

On Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced the unfortunate loss of another Filipino in Israel, bringing the total number of Filipino fatalities to four.

(ai/mnm)

By Junex Doronio

Perhaps it’s the “never say die” spirit and “habang may buhay, may pag-asa” belief that prompted almost fifty percent of Filipino adults polled to say “Yes, our lives will improve in the next 12 months.”

This was revealed by the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

According to the popular pollster, of the 1,500 adults polled from June 28 to July 1, 46 percent said their quality of life will improve in the next 12 months.

It added that 44 percent said it would stay the same, while 5 percent said it would worsen.

SWS said the net personal optimism score or the percentage of optimists minus the percentage of pessimists is +41, which it classifies as excellent.

Notably, the June net optimism score was 3 points above the very high +38 in March.

The SWS also noted that the 3-point rise in optimism was due to increases in the Visayas and Luzon areas outside of Metro Manila, combined with a steady score in the capital region Manila, and a decline in Mindanao.

(ai/mnm)