Immediately following the vote, the NDP again sided with the Liberals to pass legislation on capital gains taxes, averting another political crisis
world1 day ago
Manila had earlier urged Filipinos to leave the country before airlines stopped flying to Beirut but most of its citizens did not heed the call
The Philippines said on Friday it will evacuate 11,000 citizens from Lebanon the moment Israeli forces cross the border to launch a ground offensive against Hezbollah.
Israeli bombing of Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds around neighbouring Lebanon has killed hundreds of people this week, while the group has retaliated with rocket barrages.
Israel has rejected a US-backed 21-day ceasefire call, and its military chief has told soldiers to prepare for a possible ground offensive.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
"A ground invasion will lead to mandatory repatriation," Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said at a press conference in Manila, adding the plan was to move thousands out of the country via the sea.
Manila had earlier urged Filipinos to leave Lebanon before airlines stopped flying to Beirut but most of its citizens did not heed the call, Filipino diplomats said.
Millions of Filipinos work overseas -- with large numbers concentrated in the Middle East -- due to limited job opportunities at home. Around 90 percent of those working in Lebanon are women migrant domestic workers.
"To some of them, getting killed in war is preferable to starving to death," de Vega said, adding there have so far been no Filipino casualties from the Israeli air campaign against Hezbollah.
After Israel's war with Hamas erupted last year following the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack, Manila began voluntary repatriations of its citizens from the areas affected by the fighting.
The conflict has since spilled into Lebanon, with Israel's ongoing bombardments in the country raising fears of an all-out regional war in the Middle East.
So far, only 500 Filipinos have taken up the government's offer to leave Lebanon, De Vega said.
Filipino ambassador to Beirut Raymond Balatbat said 196 Filipinos have fled southern Lebanon, where the Israeli campaign has been concentrated.
Most Filipinos working in the country are based in central Lebanon around Beirut, he added.
Anthony Mandap, consul-general at the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv, said there are no plans as of now to repatriate some 30,000 Filipinos working in Israel.
ALSO READ:
Immediately following the vote, the NDP again sided with the Liberals to pass legislation on capital gains taxes, averting another political crisis
world1 day ago
Iwao Hakamada, 88, had been accused of stabbing to death his former boss and family before burning down their home
world1 day ago
Prime Minister Modi cancels a trip to Pune, nearly 200km from Mumbai, after authorities declared a red alert due to the rain
world1 day ago
Half a million Lebanese estimated to have been displaced as Israel widened its airstrike
world1 day ago
The president said this at a televised meeting with security officials on updating the country's nuclear deterrence doctrine
world1 day ago
It is reportedly the largest number of executions reported in one day in years in Iraq
world1 day ago
Wazed happy with army chief's tentative timeline on vote
world1 day ago
Lack of numbers in parliament is one of the five key reasons for Dissanayake deciding to hold polls on November 14
world1 day ago