DMW: 150 OFWs in Israel up for repatriation amid Israel-Iran conflict
At least 150 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Israel will be repatriated to the Philippines amid ongoing missile strikes between Israel and Iran, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Thursday.
In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac, who is leaving the country to go to Jordan, said the 150 OFWs are expected to be back to the country as soon as possible in compliance with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.'s directive.
"I will make a first stop to Beirut to assure the Filipino community of assistance there, then I will proceed to Jordan as directed by the President. Mandatory repatriation is not yet appropriate, but we know that there are OFWs who are willing to come home, who want to come home, that is why we are facilitating their repatriation, and indeed, out of Jordan, we will undertake the repatriation efforts," Cacdac said.
"So far, 150 OFWs want repatriation. I cannot give further details due to security reasons, but rest assured, we will have our first batch coming home [soon] since the Iran-Israel conflict. The situation is quite fluid, so I won't set a timeline, but rest assured, this is being done as soon as possible," he added.
Cacdac said the exchange of airstrikes between Israel and Iran have reached an unusual level, to say the least, but not yet to a point of a need of mandatory repatriation due to the existence of bomb shelters both in private and public properties in Israel.
"Sa tingin ko, ito ay kakaiba. Let me just put it that way. We have never seen itong ganitong palitan ng missile attacks between the two nations. Of course, nagkaroon na ng mga conflict in the last year or months mula noong October 7 Hamas attack on Israel but this would be different level, different scale," Cacdac said.
(This is kind of unusual. We have never seen this level of exchange of missile attacks between the two nations. Of course, there have been conflicts since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, but what is going on now is of a different scale.)
"We also have to consider that they have bomb shelters and they have protocols that are widely disseminated. If the residence of the employers of OFWs does not have a bomb shelter, there are municipal bomb shelters," he added.
In addition, Cacdac said that of the five Filipinos hurt due to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, three have already been discharged from the hospital, one is recovering and one is in critical condition.
Israel has launched a preemptive strike against Iran six days ago, supposedly to deter Iran's nuclear program. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
an hour ago
- GMA Network
Public concern over inflation, affordable food eased in Q2 2025 —OCTA
Fewer Filipinos expressed concern over inflation and access to affordable food and wages during the second quarter of the year, according to the latest data from OCTA Research released on Wednesday. In its July Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey, OCTA Research reported that public concern over issues sharply declined in the second quarter of 2025, with half or 50% of Filipino adults citing inflation as the most urgent national concern in the country. Concern for affordable food likewise declined by 10 percentage points or 41% to 31%, and improving wages by 11 percentage points or 36% to 26%. 'These declines may indicate a notable easing of economic anxieties,' the poll firm said. 'While inflation, food affordability, and wages remain among the top national concerns, the sharp decreases point to a changing public mood—where Filipinos may feel some relief, even if cautiously, compared to the heightened urgency observed earlier in the year,' it added. Other urgent national concerns included job creation (26%) and reducing poverty (23%). The OCTA Research conducted the face-to-face survey with 1,200 Filipino adults from July 12 to July 17, 2025. It has a ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. Personal concern Likewise, the TNM survey indicated a easing of the most urgent personal concern of adult Filipinos. The majority or 63% of Filipinos identified staying healthy and avoiding illnesses as their top concern — down by 7 percentage points from 70% in April to 63% in July. Concerns about having enough to eat every day also reduced by 4 percentage points from 51% to 47%. Meanwhile, concerns about finishing schooling or being able to provide schooling for their children remained relatively stable, edging up slightly from 45% in April to 46% in July 2025. 'Taken together, these shifts suggest that some households may be experiencing modest improvements in day-to-day conditions. However, the continued prominence of health, food security, and education underscores that these remain core vulnerabilities requiring sustained attention,' the survey added. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- GMA Network
Israel approves settlement plan to ‘erase' idea of Palestinian state
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and a woman hold a map that shows the long-frozen E1 settlement scheme that would split East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, during a press conference near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/ Ronen Zvulun/ File photo JERUSALEM — A widely condemned Israeli settlement plan that would cut across land which the Palestinians seek for a state received final approval on Wednesday, according to a statement from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The approval of the E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, was announced last week by Smotrich and received final go-ahead from a defense ministry planning commission on Wednesday, he said. Restarting the project could further isolate Israel, which has watched some Western allies frustrated by its continuation and planned escalation of the Gaza war announce they may recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. "With E1 we are delivering finally on what has been promised for years," Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist in the ruling right-wing coalition, said in a statement. "The Palestinian state is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions." The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the announcement on Wednesday, saying that the E1 settlement would isolate Palestinian communities living in the area and undermines the possibility of a two-state solution. A German government spokesperson commenting on the announcement told reporters on Wednesday that settlement construction violates international law and "hinders a negotiated two-state solution and an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not commented on the E1 announcement. However on Sunday, during a visit to Ofra, another West Bank settlement established a quarter of a century ago, he made broader comments, saying: "I said 25 years ago that we will do everything to secure our grip on the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, to prevent the attempts to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised, we have delivered." The two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, existing side by side with Israel. Western capitals and campaign groups have opposed the settlement project due to concerns that it could undermine a future peace deal with the Palestinians. The plan for E1, located adjacent to Maale Adumim and frozen in 2012 and 2020 amid objections from the US and European governments, involves construction of about 3,400 new housing units. Infrastructure work could begin within a few months, and house building in about a year, according to Israeli advocacy group Peace Now, which tracks settlement activity in the West Bank. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area and saying the settlements provide strategic depth and security. — Reuters
GMA Network
5 hours ago
- GMA Network
LTFRB: Decision on proposed P1 fare hike may ‘take some time'
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Wednesday that it may take a while for them to decide if they will grant the appeal of transport groups for a provisional P1 fare hike for public utility jeepneys (PUJs). 'Actually, as to the timeline, I have to be candid and honest about this, dahil hindi nga simple ang issue na 'to, it will take some time lang po. Pero asahan po ng ating publiko na it will be based on justifiable grounds tsaka transparent naman po at babalansehin po talaga nila bago maglabas ng order,' said LTFRB spokesperson Zoj Daphne Usita on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon. (Actually, as to the timeline, I have to be candid and honest about this, because this issue is not simple; it will just take some time. But the public can expect that it will be based on justifiable grounds and it will be transparent, and they will truly balance it before releasing an order.) The agency already directed several transport groups to submit a position paper within 10 days following a hearing last Monday. '...And nagpadagdag sila [board] ng position paper as part of due process kasi kailangan din makita kung ano yung justification. Aside from that, doon sa original motion nila na binigay po, mayroon nang binigay si LTFRB noong October 2023 na P1 increase. So ayun yung tinatawag natin na provisional increase na piso—kaya P13 yung sa traditional jeepney and then P15 naman po sa modern jeepney,' said Usita. (And they [the board] asked for an additional position paper as part of due process because they also need to see the justification. Aside from that, in their original motion that was submitted, the LTFRB already granted a P1 increase in October 2023. So that's what we call the provisional increase of one peso—that's why it's P13 for traditional jeepneys and P15 for modern jeepneys.) 'Through their counsel, gusto nila yung piso madagdagan pa ng additional piso na provisional din po,' she added. (Through their counsel, they want the one peso to be increased by an additional one peso, which is also provisional.) The LTFRB will also consult with the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) before making a decision. 'Makikipag-coordinate din kami sa NEDA [now DEPDev] kasi it will affect yung ekonomiya natin…So medyo tedious yung process para makita talaga, kahit P1 'yan, malaking bagay 'yan sa maraming Pilipino,' said Usita. (We will also coordinate with NEDA [now DEPDev] because it will affect our economy... So the process is quite tedious to really see; even if it's P1, that's a big deal for many Filipinos.) –VBL, GMA Integrated News
