APD | Philippine special envoy to the Middle East now in Qatar

By APD writer Melo M. Acuña

MANILA, Jan. 11 (APD) – Environment and Natural Resources Secretary and designated Special Envoy to the Middle East Roy A. Cimatu has arrived in Qatar and currently implementing repatriation on the ground.

In a statement released by the Department of National Defense Saturday mid-morning, it was learned assessment of the situation in Iran, Iraq, Libya and other neighboring states are being made.

“The situation in the area is still unstable and our contingencies for massive repatriation are still in place,” the statement released by Defense Director Arsenio R. Andolong disclosed.

Special Envoy to the Middle East and currently Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy A. Cimatu is currently in Doha, Qatar to assess the current situation in the area. The Philippine government has considered repatriating thousands of Filipino workers in strife-torn areas. (File Photo/Melo M. Acuna)

Some 14 evacuees are now at the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq and will be transported to Doha prior to their flight to Manila on Sunday, January 12. The authorities said the number may further increase as the Embassy continues to call on other Filipinos who may wish to avail of the repatriation program.

A ship from the Philippine Coast Guard, 84-meter BRP (Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas) Gabriela Silang is docked in Malta and prepared to sail to nearby countries where Filipinos may be in danger and ferry them to safer grounds.

It was learned the Alert Level within an area of 100-kilometer radius from and including Tripoli, Libya has been raised to Level 4 which calls for mandatory evacuation. Outside the 100-km. radius, it remains at Alert Level 2.

“We advise our kabayans (compatriots) in Iraq and Tripoli, Libya to contact the nearest Philippine mission to facilitate their mandatory evacuation,” the statement concluded.

The Department of Foreign Affairs reported 2,184,511 Filipinos in the Middle East and 2,869 Filipinos in strife-torn Libya as of December 31, 2018. Foreign remittances from the Middle East, which is second to transmittals from the United States of America, play a significant role in the Philippine economy.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)