The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon is getting ready to help Filipinos return home by organizing a special chartered flight in the coming days.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the Embassy said that Filipinos who want to go back to the Philippines can sign up online at https://tinyurl.com/2024Repatriation. They need to have their passports and iqamas (work permits) ready. No need to fill out the form more than once.
The Embassy is working closely with Lebanese authorities to speed up exit clearances, especially for Filipinos who don’t have proper documents.
Tensions have been rising in Lebanon because of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, a group supported by Iran. Israeli airstrikes have killed over 2,350 people and wounded nearly 11,000 in the last year, displacing more than 1.2 million people.
On October 9, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. instructed government agencies to use all available resources to bring Filipinos home from dangerous areas in the Middle East. As of October 14, tickets have been booked for 254 Filipinos in Lebanon, with flights scheduled between October 14 and October 28. Another 300 Filipinos are waiting for repatriation approvals.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in an interview that around 500 Filipinos are expected to return home. Currently, 178 Filipinos are staying in shelters in Beirut due to the ongoing conflict.
Since the Philippine government started its repatriation efforts last year, 460 Filipinos, along with their 28 dependents, have safely returned home.
Lebanon is under Alert Level 3, which means Filipinos there can choose to return to the Philippines voluntarily.
