The Philippine government is preparing to evacuate Filipino workers as the security situation in Afghanistan continues to worsen due to recent Taliban activities.
Joseph Glenn Gumpal, president of the Filipino expatriate community in Afghanistan called “Samahang Pilipino sa Afghanistan” shared that members of the embassy staff have started to draw up a list of those who want to be repatriated.
The repatriation flights are now planned for August 22, August 23, and August 24 as the number of individuals who want to avail of the free flights has been rising.
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Gumpal said the embassy staff have asked the national government for funds to cover the cost of repatriation and eight staffers have been assigned to contact OFWs in their respective companies for flights.
At least there are 171 registered overseas Filipino workers in Afghanistan employed by 33 companies from defense contractors to telecommunication firms.
Some have already had their flight tickets booked by their employers while others were still awaiting guidance from their companies.
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The Embassy officials have sought a repatriation flight to Manila through Istanbul in Turkey skipping the traditional go-to hub of Dubai as the Philippines has extended the ban on travelers from the UAE and nine other countries until the end of August due to risks posed by the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Gumpal said some Filipino workers have decided against joining evacuation flights and instead were counting on their “employers’ commitment they would be repatriated in cases of emergency.”
As many as 2,000 Filipino contractors were deployed inside American and NATO military facilities at the start of 2021, but the numbers were gradually cut down after President Joe Biden decided to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan. While some of them managed to return to the Philippines, a good number have been stranded in Dubai for months now with the suspension of regular commercial passenger flights and with only repatriation flights being allowed. (AW)
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