Pinoys in Ukraine told to prepare for possible evacuation

(Updated 4:27 p.m.) The Philippine government has advised its citizens in troubled Ukraine to prepare for possible evacuation amid the ongoing civil disturbance there and Russia's threat to use military force.

In a statement Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario raised crisis alert level 2 (restriction phase) for Ukraine in view of ongoing tensions there.

Under Alert Level 2, Filipinos in Ukraine are advised to "restrict non-essential movements, avoid public places, closely monitor developments, and prepare for possible evacuation."

A five-member Rapid Response Team from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of the President, Department of Labor and Employment and Philippine National Police will depart for Ukraine as soon as possible, said Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez.

“The Philippines expresses its deep concern regarding developments in Ukraine and calls on all parties to exercise restraint, not to escalate through the use of force, and follow obligations under international law,” Hernandez said.

“The Philippines urges all parties to resolve the crisis through dialogue,” he added.

Keep calm

In a separate statement, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz advised overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the troubled country “to stay calm and stay home, and not make any unnecessary visit or detours to public places where marches or protests are being held.”

The Eastern European country that borders Russia on the east and northeast was rocked by civil disturbance in recent weeks that led to a new government.

The new government announced it had fired the head of the navy and launched a treason case against him for surrendering Ukraine's naval headquarters to Russian forces in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, where Moscow has a major naval base.

The DFA has strongly advised all Filipinos in Ukraine to communicate with the Philippine Embassy in Moscow, as the Philippines has no embassy in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, although it has an honorary consul there.

The Filipinos in Ukraine were also urged to inform the embassy of their whereabouts and their current condition, and to contact their families in the Philippines and apprise them of their situation.

Filipinos who want to return to the Philippines should contact the Philippine Embassy, Baldoz said.

Citing data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Baldoz said there are 115 OFWs in Ukraine in 2013 and 57 in 2012, or a total of 175.

Of the number, 41 were administrative and managerial workers while 30 were service workers.

Baldoz said the Department of Labor and Employment is in close contact with the DFA in monitoring the sitaution in Ukraine.  — with Michaela del Callar/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more