At least 45 overseas Filipinos in Lebanon are scheduled to return home this week as tensions between Lebanon and Israeli forces continue to rise. This follows the repatriation of 15 Filipinos over the weekend, according to Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
The DMW, in collaboration with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), will provide P100,000 in financial assistance to each repatriated Filipino.
Cacdac noted that while no Filipinos are residing near the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel, several hundred live in southern Lebanese cities. There are currently around 11,300 Filipinos in Lebanon, most of whom reside in or near Beirut.
Voluntary repatriation efforts began in October of last year after the Islamist militant group Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel. The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon is preparing evacuation routes should the situation escalate to Alert Level 4, which would necessitate mandatory repatriation.
Meanwhile, the cross-border violence has claimed the lives of 580 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters, including at least 128 civilians. On the Israeli side, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of 22 soldiers and 26 civilians, according to official reports.
Lebanon and Israel previously engaged in a significant conflict in 2006.