PHL to repatriate Pinoys in Japan as radiation leak spreads
The Philippine government will repatriate Filipinos in Japan as the radiation leak in that country has become widespread.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said upon the instruction of President Benigno Aquino III "we are repatriating on mandatory basis Filipinos within the 50-km radius of the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant."
"As a precautionary measure the Philippines would be additionally be declaring a voluntary repatriation for those in 50 km to 100 km radius," he added.
Some 2,000 Filipinos are being targeted for repatriation, not counting children, Del Rosario said.
"In both cases, the Philippine government will absorb full cost of the repatriation to the Philippines," Del Rosario said. Each flight with a capacity of 400 passengers would cost the government $200,000 per trip.
The Philippine government intends to charter an aircraft that will originate from the Nigata airport in northwest Japan, he said.
"We are targeting the first repatriation flight to be scheduled on Sunday, April 17," Del Rosario said.
He cited a report of the Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez indicating that the Japanese government has adjusted the crisis level of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident from 5 to 7 because of the widespread accumulation of radiation leaks.
"The DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) is coordinating with the concerned agencies to ascertain that those repatriated will undergo proper health screening," Del Rosario said.
The Filipinos who will be arriving in Manila from Fukushima would undergo radiation screening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Hesitant to leave Japan
Del Rosario admitted that repatriating all 2,000 Filipinos in the danger zone would pose a great challenge to the Philippine government as many of them might be hesitant to leave.
"There's no way we can force them to leave if they want to stay. We can't compel people to go," Del Rosario said.
Most of these Filipinos are married to Japanese nationals and have already considered Japan their home, he added.
"We don't think the close to 2,000 will consent to be repatriated. We are thinking of Libya wherein Filipinos opted to stay," he said.
Del Rosario said the government’s priority is to repatriate only Filipino nationals and their children.
However, if their spouses want to join them, they would have to shoulder their transportation expenses or execute a promissory note as a guarantee they would reimburse the airfare to the government.
He said the Philippines has already deployed teams to affected areas in Fuskushima to prepare the repatriation of Filipinos.
Fukushima nuclear plant
The Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is located on a 3.5-square-km site in the towns of Okuma and Futaba in the Futaba District of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
The nuclear plant became "disabled" nuclear power plant after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11.
The plant's nuclear reactor cooling systems were disabled, triggering radiation leaks and forcing the evacuation of people residing near the nuclear power plant. — JE/VVP, GMA News
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said upon the instruction of President Benigno Aquino III "we are repatriating on mandatory basis Filipinos within the 50-km radius of the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant."
"As a precautionary measure the Philippines would be additionally be declaring a voluntary repatriation for those in 50 km to 100 km radius," he added.
Some 2,000 Filipinos are being targeted for repatriation, not counting children, Del Rosario said.
"In both cases, the Philippine government will absorb full cost of the repatriation to the Philippines," Del Rosario said. Each flight with a capacity of 400 passengers would cost the government $200,000 per trip.
The Philippine government intends to charter an aircraft that will originate from the Nigata airport in northwest Japan, he said.
"We are targeting the first repatriation flight to be scheduled on Sunday, April 17," Del Rosario said.
He cited a report of the Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez indicating that the Japanese government has adjusted the crisis level of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident from 5 to 7 because of the widespread accumulation of radiation leaks.
"The DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) is coordinating with the concerned agencies to ascertain that those repatriated will undergo proper health screening," Del Rosario said.
The Filipinos who will be arriving in Manila from Fukushima would undergo radiation screening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Hesitant to leave Japan
Del Rosario admitted that repatriating all 2,000 Filipinos in the danger zone would pose a great challenge to the Philippine government as many of them might be hesitant to leave.
"There's no way we can force them to leave if they want to stay. We can't compel people to go," Del Rosario said.
Most of these Filipinos are married to Japanese nationals and have already considered Japan their home, he added.
"We don't think the close to 2,000 will consent to be repatriated. We are thinking of Libya wherein Filipinos opted to stay," he said.
Del Rosario said the government’s priority is to repatriate only Filipino nationals and their children.
However, if their spouses want to join them, they would have to shoulder their transportation expenses or execute a promissory note as a guarantee they would reimburse the airfare to the government.
He said the Philippines has already deployed teams to affected areas in Fuskushima to prepare the repatriation of Filipinos.
Fukushima nuclear plant
The Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is located on a 3.5-square-km site in the towns of Okuma and Futaba in the Futaba District of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
The nuclear plant became "disabled" nuclear power plant after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11.
The plant's nuclear reactor cooling systems were disabled, triggering radiation leaks and forcing the evacuation of people residing near the nuclear power plant. — JE/VVP, GMA News
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