300 OFWs back home from Syria

MANILA, Philippines – Nearly 300 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) fleeing the violence in Syria returned home yesterday in the biggest single repatriation effort negotiated between the two governments.

The repatriates arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal in two batches on chartered flights paid for by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The first batch, composed of 263 OFWs, arrived at 10 a.m. on a chartered Jordan Aviation Airlines Flight JAV 4371.

Another batch of 17 OFWs accompanied by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis arrived at 4:35 p.m. on Emirates Flight EK 332.

Vice President and Presidential Adviser for Migrant Workers Jejomar Binay, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Carmelita Dimzon welcomed the returning OFWs.

Syrian President Bashar Assad granted the request of the Philippine government to waive the exit visa requirements for the OFWs staying at the Philippine embassy in Damascus.

Del Rosario visited Syria last Sept. 4 and 5 and sought the assistance of Syrian leaders in the repatriation of OFWs. He also negotiated for the waiver of penalties and fees of the repatriates with Syria’s Presidential Adviser on Political and Media Relations Bouthaina Shaaban and Foreign Minister Walid Moallem.

“Our policy is not to leave anyone behind. Anyone who wants to come home, we will arrange for them to do that,” Del Rosario said.

More OFWs from Syria arriving

Del Rosario said another group of 500 OFWs, including 400 who have finished their contracts, is also scheduled to return home.

“The (papers) of the 400 have been arranged with the Syrian government. It is just a matter of documentation. We are trying to see how we can book another aircraft. As you know this aircraft was provided at zero cost by the IOM,” Del Rosario told reporters at NAIA.

Del Rosario said they also negotiated with the Syrian government for the pullout of at least 200 Filipinos working in Aleppo.

“There is another group of about 200 whom we are going to extract from Aleppo. Aleppo has become a war zone so people should be repatriated. The government no longer functions in that area. We have been able to negotiate with the Syrian government to pull them out,” he added.

Del Rosario said some Filipinos remain in Syria despite the government’s policy to repatriate them because they are well taken care of by their employers.

“There’s nothing we can do. We can’t force them. The same thing happened in Libya,” he said.

Ricardo Casco, executive officer of IOM, told The STAR they paid $400,000 to repatriate the OFWs. He said around 5,000 OFWs remain in Syria.

Maria Cecilia de Caldo, a resident of Negros Oriental, thanked the government for bringing them home. She said they traveled some 300 kilometers from Aleppo to Damascus.

“I thought we could not make it. It’s really a war zone there,” said Joanna Bulaybulay, 31, of Negros Oriental.

Normina Kanapia, 34, a resident of Cotabato, said she escaped through a second floor window of her employer’s house using a rope because she was not allowed to go to the Philippine embassy.

Nolambai Pijcaulan Ukol, 35, of General Santos City, said her employers fled for Saudi Arabia and left her alone in the house.

Cooperate, OFWs asked

Binay, meanwhile, urged the remaining OFWs in Syria to cooperate with the government’s repatriation efforts.

“Thousands of Filipinos remain in Syria. I urge all of them to leave because the situation there is getting worse,” he said.

Binay said the government is coordinating with other international organizations to help in the repatriation of OFWs.

“The government has a reintegration program for the repatriated OFWs. Those who are members of the Pag-IBIG Fund will get moratorium in the payment of their housing loans and they will also get their contributions,” he said.

Binay also gave assurance that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration would go after recruitment agencies sending OFWs to Syria. –Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) with Jose Rodel Clapano, Rudy Santos, AP