Philippine Embassy Repatriates 289 Filipinos from Lebanon
25 October 2024
BEIRUT - The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon repatriated 289 Filipino nationals on 25 October 2024 through a chartered flight. This number includes 246 Overseas Filipino Workers and their children (OFWs), and 21 Filipino non-workers and 22 minors with dual citizenships.
Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat with officials from MWO and OWWA with repatriates at the boarding gate.
On 24 October 2024, a day before their flight, H.E. Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat welcomed the repatriates to their pre-departure orientation seminar held at the Lancaster Hotel Raouche. DFA Augmentation Team Leader Jeffrey Salik briefed the repatriates on the flow and processes that shall be followed on the day of their repatriation. The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and Overseas Workers Welfare Assistance (OWWA) discussed benefits and entitlements that repatriate workers may receive, which includes financial assistance packages, onward flights to their provinces upon touchdown in Manila, among other things.
Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat, DFA Augmentation team, MWO and OWWA at the pre-departure seminar held at Lancaster Hotel Raouche a day before the flight
Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat (center), Third Secretary and Vice Consul Mark Ponce (5th from the right) and other Embassy personnel together with members of the DFA Rapid Response Team led by Team Leader Jeffry Salik (4th from the left)
After the pre-departure orientation, the Embassy was able to hand out KAPWA welfare assistance to 94 beneficiaries who were among those being repatriated the following day.
Embassy personnel assisted the 289 Overseas Filipinos as they arrived at the airport on the day of their flight.
The repatriates were transferred to the airport in buses on the day of their flight. An advance team of Embassy personnel met them from the airport’s entrance and accompanied them each step of the way to assist them during luggage check-in, and through the security and immigration counters.
Repatriates gather at the departure area and line-up at the check-in counters.
The Embassy acknowledges the active support of the Philippine Embassies in Doha and Ankara as well as the Lebanese government in ensuring the success of the repatriation.
Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Mark Ponce with some of the 289 repatriates at the boarding gate.
The Embassy is committed to bringing home every Filipino in Lebanon who avails of its voluntary repatriation program that began in October 2023 due to the on-going conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.The Embassy is committed to bringing home every Filipino in Lebanon who avails of its voluntary repatriation program that began in October 2023 due to the on-going conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
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