FIFTEEN Filipino workers, an infant, and an Islamic studies student finally arrived in Manila Saturday afternoon after Greece and Saudi Arabia extracted them on board military planes from Sudan, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
This is the first batch of Filipinos who arrived in the Philippines among 610 Filipinos who left the beleaguered African country where fighting between the army and a paramilitary force has killed more than 500 people and 4,000 wounded since April 15.
DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo led the DFA and the Department of Migrant Workers officials in welcoming the first batch of Filipino evacuees.
As of this writing, a total of 610 Filipinos were extracted from the capital Khartoum. Majority of them were taken to the Egypt border. The government plans to bring them to Cairo where they will take a flight back to Manila.
From Athens
Eight of the first batch who arrived in Manila are OFWs who worked in a hotel in Sudan.
They boarded a military evacuation flight after the Philippine Embassy in Athens pleaded to the Greek government to accommodate them.
The group arrived in Athens Friday and then was booked to the next available flight to Manila.
From Jeddah
The other nine Filipino repatriates fled Khartoum via Port Sudan, in eastern Sudan. From Port Sudan, they boarded a C130 plane of the Saudi Royal Air Force. They arrived in Jeddah on Thursday.
One of these evacuees was an infant.
The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah issued travel documents to those who did not have their original passports with them.
The Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (OWWA) took care of the tickets of the eight OFW. The Consulate, meanwhile, arranged for the flight of the Filipino who is a student in Sudan.
From Egypt
The DFA said a total of 391 Filipino evacuees have already crossed to the Egyptian side of the border in buses chartered by the Philippine Embassy in Cairo and the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Sudan.
The Embassy is currently arranging for their temporary visas and repatriation flights to the Philippines, while DMW and OWWA are preparing for shelter and other welfare assistance during transit.
Another 45 overseas Filipinos are expected to be evacuated by sea to Saudi Arabia, where the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah has also been providing the necessary support.
“The Philippine government is working round-the-clock to assist our kababayans who have left Sudan”, said Secretary Manalo, who highlighted that DFA-led teams are present on the ground to facilitate the repatriation of these overseas Filipinos.
Personnel from the DMW, OWWA, and the Department of National Defense have also been deployed to augment the evacuation efforts.
Secretary Manalo thanked Greece, Saudi Arabia, France, Egypt, and other countries who helped the Philippine government in evacuating Filipinos from Sudan during these times of crisis.
“Our DFA offices and diplomatic missions concerned are determined to bring our people home safely, as soon as possible”, Secretary Manalo assured.
Image credits: DFA