DFA: Don’t go to Iraq


January 04, 2020
 

By

Cristina Lee-Pisco
 
People's Journal

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has called on all Filipinos to cancel any travel to Iraq until further notice, in view of the current tensions in that country.

In its advisory issued late Friday night, Filipinos in Iraq were strongly advised to coordinate closely with the Philippine Embassy and their employers in the event mandatory evacuation will be necessary.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez said crisis alert level 3 or voluntary repatriation is still being imposed for all areas in Iraq except for the Iraqi Kurdistan region which remains under Alert Level 1 (pracautionary phase).
There are 538 undocumented and 1,190 Filipino workers in Iraq, half of them in relatively safer Kurdistan region and about 847 in Baghdad area, Meñez said.
He said those in Baghdad are mostly working for US and other foreign facilities. Others in Erbil are employed by regular commercial establishments.  
The Embassy may be contacted at (+964) 781-606-6822; (+964) 751-616-7838; and (+964) 751-876-4665 or via email: baghdad.pe@dfa.gov.ph; and/or via facebook page: Philippine Embassy in Iraq.

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