DFA Sec. Del Rosario off to Syria

Tuesday 4th of September 2012

QUEZON CITY, Sept. 4 -- Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario left for Syria Monday, September 3, to check on the condition of Filipinos affected by the deteriorating security situation in that country and to coordinate with top Syrian Government officials to secure their safe, immediate and unhampered repatriation.

“We were given a clear mandate by the President to ensure the safety and welfare of Filipinos in Syria. We want to facilitate the immediate repatriation of as many Filipinos as possible,” Secretary del Rosario said in a DFA statement.

The Secretary is accompanied by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis.

In April and December 2011, Secretary del Rosario also went to Damascus to personally seek the assistance of the Syrian Government in looking after our nationals in that country.

Undersecretary Seguis likewise embarked on a similar mission to Syria last July. His efforts resulted in the granting of exit visas and the waiver of penalties and fees for 140 Filipinos who were brought home last July 30 to August 01. There are currently over 1,000 Filipinos who are undergoing repatriation procedures.

A Rapid Response Team (RRT), composed of officers and personnel from the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Employment, and Interior and Local Government, is at present in Syria to extract Filipinos from conflict areas and help speed-up the repatriation efforts, which is being spearheaded by the Philippine Embassy in Damascus.

Nearly 300 Filipinos are being housed in the Embassy’s halfway house ready to be repatriated and are expected to arrive in the coming days.

A total of 26 Filipinos are also scheduled to arrive today, September 04 and tomorrow, September 05, which will bring the total number of repatriates to 2,124.(DFA)