Despite the ongoing violence in Lebanon following the October 7 attacks on Israel, hundreds of Filipinos in Lebanon have chosen to withdraw their repatriation requests, according to Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon, Raymond Balatbat.
Ambassador Balatbat revealed in an interview that his office initially received 1,174 applications for repatriation. However, he said, “Ang na-repatriate natin is 505. Kalahati po ay eventually nag-decline,” noting that many Filipino community leaders and area coordinators opted to stay despite the escalating situation.
The majority of the 11,000 Filipinos currently in Lebanon are domestic workers, 95% of whom are women. “Ayaw po nilang magparepatriate… We cannot force them to go home if they don’t want to go home,” the ambassador added.
Lebanese authorities and community members have expressed growing concerns amid increasing cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah. This comes as Israel shifts its focus to the Iran-backed group following a series of recent escalations.
Ambassador Balatbat emphasized that deployment bans for Filipino workers to Lebanon have been in place since 2006, although some workers end up there after being “diverted” from other countries like Saudi Arabia and Dubai.