Panayam kay ASec. Robert Ferrer ukol sa mga kababayan natin sa Lebanon

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Transcript

00:00Let's find out the situation of our countrymen in Lebanon

00:05with the Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary, Robert Ferrer.

00:10Asek Ferrer, good afternoon.

00:12Yes, good afternoon.

00:14I took a break, Asek is here.

00:17Because earlier, we couldn't understand you.

00:19So, here it is.

00:20Can you show us the current situation in Lebanon

00:26and how big is the effect of the various attacks

00:30in the nearby places, to our countrymen there?

00:34Okay, well, we wish to reassure the public

00:38that our embassy in Lebanon,

00:42together with our government officials in Manila,

00:47we are doing all we can to ensure the safety of our over 10,000 Filipino countrymen in Lebanon.

00:55Now, no Filipino was hurt, thanks be to God,

00:58in the wave of attacks against Ebola targets in the past few days.

01:03But we still reiterate the call for all Filipinos in Lebanon

01:07to avail themselves of the government's voluntary repatriation program

01:12while commercial flights are still available

01:15and the situation in Beirut is still stable.

01:18Now, our embassy has been coordinating with the Filipino community

01:22and taking the necessary steps to initiate mass repatriation

01:26in case the need arises.

01:28Now, so far, over 500 have already returned to the Philippines,

01:32with over 1,000 still being processed for return.

01:36At the same time, we call for a peaceful solution

01:40among all the parties and stakeholders in the region.

01:43And we will continue updating...

01:47That's...

01:52Hello?

01:53Yes, sir. Go ahead.

01:55Yeah, so I just mentioned...

01:58Did you hear what I said?

01:59Yes, sir.

02:00Loud and clear, sir.

02:01So basically, that's the situation now.

02:04Let's continue to pray for our countrymen in Lebanon

02:08so that...

02:11And we pray for cooler heads to prevail

02:15on all the stakeholders and parties to the conflict.

02:20Now, take note, we have over 10,000 Filipinos in Lebanon

02:24and each of them is very important to the president, to our government.

02:32Asek Ferrer, sir.

02:34Sir, what is the common reason of our countrymen

02:37who do not want to return to the Philippines

02:40despite the tension and chaos of the situation there?

02:43I cannot hear.

02:44Sorry, sir.

02:45Sir, let me repeat.

02:46Sir, what is the common reason of our countrymen

02:50who do not want to return to the Philippines

02:52despite the tension and chaos of the situation there in Lebanon?

03:00Hello?

03:01Hello, sir? Yes.

03:02Sir, can you hear me?

03:04Yeah, I can hear you a little bit.

03:06Sir, I will repeat my question.

03:08Sir, what is the...

03:09I'm sorry?

03:10I will repeat my question.

03:13Wait, let me step out because I'm in a...

03:16I'm in an event, you see.

03:17Wait.

03:20Let's wait for Asek Robert Ferrer.

03:23Yes.

03:26Hello?

03:27Sir, can you hear me?

03:30Yes, very faintly.

03:32Okay.

03:33Sir, what is the common reason of our countrymen

03:36who do not want to return to the Philippines

03:38despite the tension and chaos of the situation there in Lebanon?

03:43Well, if you heard my previous statement,

03:46we cannot force our countrymen to go home, you know.

03:49Ambassador Balatbat conducted a consultation

03:54with the community leaders in Lebanon

03:56and all of them, almost unanimous,

04:00are opposed to any mandatory repatriation

04:03by the Philippine government.

04:05Now, we're a democracy here in the Philippines.

04:07We are also a democracy abroad,

04:09so we cannot force those Filipinos in Lebanon.

04:14They're used to the crisis there.

04:16However, we are processing more than 1,000 requests

04:19for voluntary repatriation.

04:21That's one out of ten so far,

04:24my friends.

04:27Okay.

04:28So, what are the current news

04:30that the DFA is giving to our countrymen in Lebanon

04:34despite the various attacks?

04:39Well, they have to pay attention to the advisories

04:41of the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon.

04:43It's posted in their Facebook account.

04:46Basically, take advantage of the fact

04:50that there are regular commercial flights available

04:54and they should take those flights now

04:56while the flights are available.

04:59But as I told you, we cannot force them into those planes.

05:03They have to make that decision on their own

05:05because they're not children.

05:07They are adults and, you know, we cannot force them.

05:11So far, the areas being targeted

05:15are only southern Lebanon

05:17and Dania neighborhood in southern Beirut.

05:21There are only a few Filipinos there.

05:24So, the rest of Lebanon

05:27and the rest of Beirut in the north,

05:30they are not seeing as much alarm

05:34as we do here in the home office here in Manila.

05:37So, what we can do,

05:39and we are calling for this,

05:41is for these Filipinos

05:45to call their own relatives

05:47and force them or ask them to go home

05:50because they can only be respected

05:56whatever their decision is.

05:58So, it would be a big help

06:00if their relatives here in the Philippines

06:02convince their relatives in Lebanon to go home.

06:08That's what we can say about that.

06:11Asek Ferrer, we received information

06:15that the majority of these Filipinos in Lebanon

06:19are undocumented.

06:21So, is it one of the reasons

06:23why they refuse to leave Lebanon?

06:26No.

06:27The ambassador in Lebanon and his team

06:30are busy taking care of those exits

06:35and immigration fees

06:39that they have to pay

06:40so that they can get out.

06:42Because, of course,

06:43if you're a Filipino working there,

06:44you want to go back to Lebanon, right?

06:46Correct.

06:47When peace comes back.

06:48So, it's not an issue.

06:50Of the more than 1,000

06:52who have requested for voluntary repatriation,

06:55those who have immigration and visa issues,

06:57they're being taken care of by the embassy.

07:00And our embassy in Lebanon does not lack funds.

07:04All funds have already been approved

07:07for use by Ambassador Raymond Balatbat and his team.

07:10And you might also want to interview him as well.

07:13Okay, Asek, where can Filipinos

07:16who are currently being held in Lebanon

07:19contact you?

07:21What was that? Can you repeat that?

07:22Where can Filipinos who are currently being held in Lebanon

07:25contact you?

07:27They can contact our Facebook.

07:30Send a message to our Facebook Messenger account.

07:35It's called Overseas Filipino Help on Facebook.

07:39Let me repeat.

07:40Overseas Filipino Help on Facebook.

07:43Or they can message the embassy in Lebanon itself.

07:46So, I'll text this number

07:49the hotline of the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon.

07:53They can be reached quite easily through social media.

07:58Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Oraz,

08:01Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Robert Ferrer.

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Transcript

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