Latest news with #WilfredoSantos
GMA Network
24-06-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
AFP ready to aid in repatriating Pinoys in Middle East amid tension
DMW Sec. Hans Cacdac and Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Wilfredo Santos, along with the team of Philippine Embassy and Migrant Workers Office in Amman, Jordan pose with 26 OFWs and one Filipina tourist who will be returning to the Philippines through the government's voluntary repatriation program. File photo: Department of Migrant Workers The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is ready to help with the repatriation of Filipinos affected by the continuous tension in the Middle East, spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said Tuesday. 'The Armed Forces of the Philippines is prepared to be in sync with other government agencies in terms of the role that the AFP will play in terms of repatriation,' Padilla told reporters at a press briefing. 'So, we are ready to react swiftly, securely, and in sync with other government agencies on this,' she added. The first batch of Filipinos is expected to arrive Tuesday night around 7 p.m. after it was delayed due to the temporary suspension of Qatari air traffic after Iran attacked a US military base in Doha. The Department of Migrant Workers also said 50 more Filipinos could be repatriated this week. Last week, the Philippine government raised the crisis alert to level 3 in Israel and Iran, urging Filipinos in the affected areas to take advantage of the voluntary repatriation as armed hostilities between the two countries continue. According to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration., it has received 35 calls for assistance since the Philippine government raised the Crisis Alert to Level 3 in Israel and Iran. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RSJ, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
18-06-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
DFA: 21 stranded PH officials in Israel safely evacuated to Jordan
Twenty-one stranded Philippine government officials safely crossed into Jordan from Israel amid its escalating conflict with Iran, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. Of this number, 17 officials attended an agricultural technology training that began June 10 and is supposed to officially end June 20. Two were congressmen, nine mayors, four vice mayors, and two regional directors. The other four are specialists from the Department of Agriculture on dairy industry. "The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv actively coordinated with the Philippine Embassy in Jordan, relevant authorities, and made the necessary representations with the Israeli government in support of this mission," the DFA said. In Amman, Philippine diplpmats made formal representations to Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the Jordanian Border Security to secure entry clearance for the officials, it added. The group was met by Philippine Ambassador Wilfredo Santos at the King Hussein Border, where they were provided with the necessary assistance and issued transit visas "at no cost to the Philippine government," the DFA said. In the next few days, the Philippine embassy in Jordan is expected to receive the first group of Filipino workers who will be evacuated from Israel, the DFA said. Israel and Iran have traded missile strikes for a week, trapping civilians and foreign nationals on both sides of the conflict, triggering international alarm. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
