Over 4,300 Pinoys repatriated from Syria since 2011 — DFA

The number of Filipinos repatriated from war-torn Syria since 2011 will reach more than 4,300 as 85 more are expected to return to the Philippines by Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs  (DFA) said.
 
In a statement on Tuesday, the DFA made continued to urge Filipinos in Syria to seek repatriation "as the security in the country continues to deteriorate."
 
The 85 Filipinos were declared physically fit to travel, according to the Philippine Embassy in Damascus. They are scheduled to cross the Syrian-Lebanese border on Tuesday along with Embassy staff.
 
Upon the group's arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal I on Wednesday afternoon, the total number of Pinoy repatriates will reach 4,305.
 
According to a Reuters report Tuesday on latest developments in the strife-torn country, United Nations human rights investigators said they had "reasonable grounds" to believe that limited amounts of chemical weapons had been used in Syria.
 
In their latest report, based on interviews with victims, medical staff and other witnesses, they said they had received allegations that Syrian government forces and rebels had used the banned weapons, but that most testimony related to their use by state forces.
 
"There are reasonable grounds to believe that limited quantities of toxic chemicals were used. It has not been possible, on the evidence available, to determine the precise chemical agents used, their delivery systems or the perpetrator," Paulo Pinheiro, who chairs the U.N. commission of inquiry, told a news conference in Geneva.
 
The commission examined four reported toxic attacks in March and April but could not determine which side was behind them.
 
"The witnesses that we have interviewed include victims, refugees who fled some areas, and medical staff," Pinheiro said, declining to be more specific for reasons of confidentiality.
 
The team, composed of more than 20 investigators, conducted 430 interviews from Jan. 15 to May 15 among refugees in neighbouring countries and by Skype with people still in Syria. 
 
For Filipinos who need assistance from the DFA regarding immediate repatriation, they may call the Embassy at 963-11-6132626, +963-96-8955057, +963-93-4957926, +963-99-2264145, +963-96-8953340, or +963-95-8903893.
 
Family members may also give the DFA with latest information regarding the latest locations of their kin in Syria and corresponding contact details.
 
Those who wish to do so may call the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) at (02) 834-3240 or 834-4583 or the DFA’s 24-hour Action Center at (02) 834-3333. - Gian C. Geronimo, VVP, GMA News

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