Marcos Jr.: Mobilize assets to repatriate Pinoys in Lebanon

VIENTIANE – President Marcos yesterday ordered concerned government agencies to mobilize all available assets to ensure the safety and timely repatriation of affected Filipinos as fighting between Israeli forces and Iranian-backed militants intensifies in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.

Marcos met with members of his Cabinet, including Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año via Zoom before noon.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, who joined the President at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits here, was also present at the meeting.

Marcos reportedly missed the opening statement of Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandon at the ASEAN Retreat Session at the National Convention Center here.

“We are now going to evacuate our people by whatever means – by air or by sea and just make all the preparations so that all our assets are close. If we have a ship to take, there is one that is close to Beirut … as long as the embassy gives us the clearance and they say that our people can go, we can get them out immediately so that they don’t wait long in (dangerous) areas,” Marcos said during the meeting.

“We are going to have to evacuate them. Now, the means by which we will do that is something that we still have to determine because it is an evolving situation, so let’s keep monitoring this,” he added.

Teodoro told Marcos the government is prepared for the repatriation and is awaiting clearances from Lebanon before proceeding.

Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat, who also joined the meeting, told Marcos that all available measures would be exhausted to expedite the exit clearances to allow the government to proceed with the repatriation.

In an ambush interview at the National Convention Center, Marcos said he called for the meeting to “put plans together” to bring Filipinos back to the Philippines “as quickly as possible.”

Marcos said around 400 Filipinos in Lebanon want to be repatriated.

Asked whether the government would raise the Alert Level to 4, which means mandatory