26 more Pinoys to arrive home from war-torn Syria



The Philippine government on Monday reiterated its appeal for Filipinos in war-torn Syria to avail of its mandatory repatriation program.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose made this appeal as he announced that 26 Filipinos were set to arrive from Syria within the day.

“The repatriates will be arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal I at 4:00 p.m. on board Qatar Airways flight QR 926,” Jose said in a statement.
 
Upon the arrival of the latest batch of repatriates, the number of Filipinos brought home from Syria since March 2011 will reach 5,275.

“Of that number, 2,248 were repatriated via Lebanon through the combined efforts of the Philippine Embassies in Damascus and Beirut,” Jose said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has been sending diplomatic teams to Syria to intensify the government's mandatory repatriation efforts there.  

Jose said the costs for repatriation including airfares are being shouldered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Damascus.

Jose said Filipinos who are still in Syria could call the embassy in Damascus through  00963-11-6132626,00963-949155557, and 00963-934957926 or send an email to damascus.pe@gmail.com.

At the same time, familes of Filipinos trapped in Syria were urged to coordinate with the DFA by providing them with up to date information regarding the location and contact details of their kin.

There were 4,480 Filipinos in Syria as of December 2012, according to the stock estimate by the Commission on Overseas Filipinos, but the number could be higher due to the undocumented ones.— KBK, GMA News

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