Phl Embassy helps 4 Filipino kids escape Syria turmoil

Monday 9th of July 2012

DAMASCUS, Syria, July 9 -- The Philippine Embassy in Damascus has assisted four children, two of them eight years old, while the others, 11 and 15, to escape the turmoil in Syria and start life anew in the Philippines.

Three of them are children of a former Filipino community leader, while one was born to a Filipino mother and a Syrian father, a press statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

DFA said the kids will be arriving in Manila on July 10, Tuesday, together with six other repatriates, including their mothers.

A larger batch of 27 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will also arrive in Manila on July 9, Monday, DFA said.

These two latest batches of repatriates are in addition to a total of 10 other Filipinos who arrived from Syria on June 26, 27 and 29.

DFA reported that as of July 3, a total of 1,734 Filipinos have been repatriated since a mandatory repatriation plan was implemented in Syria in December 2011 under crisis alert level 4.

The next-of-kin of Filipinos in Syria may provide the DFA's Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) with current information regarding their loved ones' present location and their contact details in Syria by calling (02) 834-3245 or (02) 834-3240. (DFA)