SENATOR Sherwin T. Gatchalian advised stranded Filipinos in Sudan to get in touch with the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, for immediate repatriation in the midst of escalating hostilities in the African nation.
At the same time, the senator suggested that their Filipino relatives based in the Philippines with immediate relatives and loved ones stuck in Sudan should convince their respective family members in the war-torn country to seek assistance from the embassy.
This as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier reported their headcount showed around 400 Filipinos were recorded in Sudan.
Gatchalian suggested earlier that the “the [DFA] and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) should exert all efforts in locating Filipinos in Sudan and ensure their safety and wellbeing as they await the Philippine government efforts to bring them home.”
The senator aired the call after the DFA issued an advisory for Filipinos in Sudan to establish contact with the Philippine Embassy in Cairo so they can be included in the country’s repatriation efforts.
While all airports in Sudan remained locked down, it was suggested that one option is “through land travel” from Khartoum to Cairo and then fly from Cairo to Manila.
Gatchalian estimated that repatriating 400 Filipinos would cost the government between P34 million and P46 million. He added that land travel to Cairo would also entail an additional budgetary cost of about P23 million for a 2-day subsistence allowance for the repatriates.
According to the senator, the 2023 General Appropriations Act provided the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) a budget allocation of P1.259 billion for the “protection and promotion of welfare of overseas Filipinos.”
On the other hand, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an attached agency of the DMW, has a repatriation budget, which is sourced from employers’ contributions. As of end-2021, the value of the OWWA fund was at P1.40 billion.
According to news updates, more than 500 Filipinos in Sudan have sent messages to embassy officials seeking government’s help for their repatriation and that Filipinos living in the area could add up to 700, mostly undocumented.
Image credits: Philippine Honorary Consulate in Sudan