DMW: Crisis management plan, aid for displaced OFWs in Lebanon ready

MANILA: The government is ready to give the necessary assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who will be affected by the ongoing tensions in Lebanon. In a media interview in Malacañang Monday, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said OFWs who will return to the country will benefit from concerned agencies' post-repatriation program, including the grant of some PHP150,000 financial assistance from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). They may also avail free training and skills enhancement programs, as well as livelihood assistance programs, from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Agriculture (DA), and Department of Tourism (DOT). 'We're ready. We stand ready to help them upon their return,' Cacdac told Palace reporters. On Friday, the Philippine Embassy in Beirut urged all Filipinos there to pull ou t, as fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces intensifies. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are about 11,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, a vast majority of whom are in Beirut. Documented or undocumented Cacdac assured that all Filipinos in Lebanon will be able to avail of the government's repatriation and reintegration program. 'We serve everybody, documented or undocumented. Pagdating nila dito whether documented is sinabi ko kanina, the whole process I described refers to a person whether documented or undocumented,' he said. Aside from repatriations, he said they are also conducting "onsite monitoring" and are coordinating with the Filipino community in Lebanon for evacuation efforts within the country. He said shelters are available for Filipinos there. 'May crisis plan tayo (We have a crisis plan). We're all set. We're already prepared in terms of our crisis management plans. Hopefully the situation doesn't get worse. But we are ready in case the situation gets worse,' Cacdac said. Source: Philippines News Agency