Repatriation of 3 Pinoys killed in Israel-Hamas war may take longer —OWWA By GISELLE OMBAY, GMA Integrated News

The repatriation of the remains of the three Filipinos who were killed amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants may take longer due to the ongoing war, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Sunday. Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio explained that Philippine authorities are still exploring ways to repatriate the bodies at the earliest time. “Under normal circumstances, mga one week sana ‘yan. Pero ngayon, dahil nga merong giyera, extraordinary ang sitwasyon, malamang magtatagal pa ‘yan. Lalampas ng one week ‘yan,” he said. (Under normal circumstances, [repatriation] would only take about a week. But now, because there is a war and the situation is extraordinary, it will probably take some time. That will take longer than one week.) The three Filipino fatalities were identified as Loreta Alacre, a caregiver from Negros Oriental; Angeline Aguirre, a nurse; and Paul Vincent Castelvi, a 42-year-old caregiver. Ignacio said that authorities are also considering the flight for the remains amid the war. “Pero hopefully, kasi very volatile naman ang situation, maaring mabigyan kaagad ng pagkakataon mailipad. Kasi ang flights ang consideration natin…We are exploring all possibilities, all channels para maiuwi natin sa lalong madaling panahon itong ating mga kababayan,” he added. (But hopefully, because the situation is very volatile, the bodies may be given a chance to be flown right away. Flights are our consideration...We are exploring all possibilities, all channels so that we can bring the bodies home as soon as possible.) Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said Thursday that the repatriation of affected overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Pinoy fatalities may be done through the same flight. Hamas militants carried out their deadliest attack in Israel's history last week, when gunmen rampaged through Israeli towns, killing more than 1,000 people and taking scores of hostages back to Gaza Strip where the group is based. Israel has retaliated with air strikes on Gaza that have razed entire districts as it prepares for a possible ground offensive. The Department of Foreign Affairs placed Israel under Alert Level 2 (restricted deployment), while Gaza is under Alert Level 4 (mandatory repatriation). —KG, GMA Integrated News

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