Freed OFW unaware if Hamas is holding another Pinoy: DFA

THE Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the Filipino caregiver in Israel, who was freed last Friday from Hamas captivity, is unaware of another Filipino among the hostages.

Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said they have asked overseas Filipino workers (OFW) Gelienor “Jimmy” Pacheco if he had come across another Filipino hostage during his 49 days in captivity.

“No contact between them. Ang alam niya wala siyang kasamang ibang hostage na Filipino (As far as he knows, there was no other Filipino hostage),” De Vega said in a Viber message.

De Vega, however, said the DFA remains hopeful they would be able to find the missing Filipino.

Earlier, the DFA said it was working to locate the Filipino who remained missing after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

“Still hoping for the best. Pinag-tatrabahuhan natin ito (We are working on it),” de Vega added.

Prior to Pacheco’s release, De Vega said two missing Filipinos, and possibly among the captives of Hamas, includes a man who was seen by his wife in a video forcibly taken on the date of the group’s attack. The other was a woman who has a dual citizenship.

Hamas has released three batches of hostages in return for the Jewish state freeing Palestinians held in its prison facilities.

More than half of the estimated 240 hostages taken by Hamas rebels to Gaza have foreign passports from at least 25 countries, including the two Filipinos, the Israeli government said last month.

Four Filipinos have died in the war between Israel and Hamas.