RP orders mandatory evacuation of OFWs in Yemen

The Philippine government yesterday Monday ordered the mandatory evacuation of all Filipinos residing in the strife-torn capital of Yemen and other affected areas due to the deteriorating peace and order situation there.

Manila raised the crisis alert in Yemen to number 4, which calls for mandatory movement of all Filipinos, following Friday’s rocket attack at the Yemeni presidential palace in capital Sanaa, which left Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and some members of his government injured and seven presidential guards killed.

“In light of the worsening security situation in the city, we are asking Filipinos in Sanaa to get in touch with the embassy team stationed there so they could be moved to a safer area, and then out of the country,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said.

The DFA explained that level four is implemented only in affected areas, while alert level 3, which means voluntary repatriation, is in effect in other parts of the country. But in both cases, the government will shoulder all the travel and relocation costs for Filipinos.

The government has also banned work deployment and all kinds of travel to Yemen.

“Filipinos in Yemen are also advised to call the embassy teams in Sanaa and Aden immediately if they feel unsafe in the area they are residing and the teams can move them in a safe area,” a Department of Foreign Affairs advisory said.

Filipinos are also asked not to venture outside if they feel that their safety is at risk, it added.

Political uprisings in Yemen have become more violent as the wave of Arab unrests grip the Middle East and North Africa with protesters calling for an end to authoritarian rule and reforms. –Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune