2 [Filipino] ships to fetch OFWs, Trip to Lebanon will take15 days

[A_flyer]

2 ships to fetch OFWs
Trip to Lebanon will take15 days

The Manila Times - August 07, 2006

THE government will send two ferries to Lebanon to help evacuate Filipinos stranded after weeks of Israeli air raids that have destroyed roads and bridges throughout the country.

The Philippine Coast Guard said on Sunday that it had been ordered to prepare two ferries, the Batangas and Pampanga, for the 15-day voyage to Lebanon.

The ships, each capable of carrying 300 people, will leave Manila on Wednesday for the 6,568 nautical mile voyage.

The Coast Guard spokesman, Lt. Commander Joseph Coyme, said President Arroyo approved the mission in a bid to evacuate thousands of Filipinos stranded in Lebanon.

He said Filipinos will be taken to Cyprus or ports in Turkey, Egypt or Syria for repatriation back home.

On Friday the President made an urgent appeal for the estimated 30,000 Filipinos working in Lebanon to leave the country, warning the conflict was set to escalate.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said in a statement Sunday that Manila was securing the “proper clearance” from Israel to allow the vessels to approach Lebanese ports.

The Israeli Navy has maintained a total blockade on all Lebanese ports since Israel began its offensive against Hezbollah positions in the south of the country last month.

Conejos said some 450 Filipinos were able to flee Beirut on Saturday to northern Syria using a coastal land route aboard buses.

So far, 2,652 overseas Filipino workers have arrived back in the Philippines from Lebanon using the land route to Syria.

Coyme said the sea route had become the only practical and safe option left for the government.

“The land route to Syria is no longer safe,” he said.

Mrs. Arroyo on Sunday appealed to all Filipinos to pray for the safety of their countrymen trapped in the fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah rebels.

“The situation is fraught with danger and every prayer of hope and deliverance counts. This is a challenge addressed to the whole Filipino nation as the possibility of an early truce dims, and the call for unity and steadfastness mounts,” she said.

Mrs. Arroyo also appealed to Israeli and Hezbollah forces to “respect the flags of civilians, including Filipinos, seeking safe passageways and routes being used for evacuation and other humanitarian purposes.”

She assured families and relatives of the OFWs that “government will continue to provide the leadership, the diplomatic support and the resources to bring our nationals out of harm’s way.”

President Arroyo has ordered the forced evacuation of the almost 30,000 Filipinos in Lebanon.
--AFP and Sam Mediavilla

[Pauldo]

Jeez, 6500 miles on a Pilipino ferry??? They'll probably be charged by the mile, if they get back at all.

President Arroyo has ordered the forced evacuation of the almost 30,000 Filipinos in Lebanon.

And how do they plan to get 30,000 Filipinos on two 300 seater ferries anyway?

[scotsfiancee]

Total estimated costs to evacuate 30,000 OFWs from Lebanon to Manila by ship is only $3.5 million, covering 13 trips at $270,000 per trip. Chartering a superferry, according to Pimentel, would cost $8,000 a day but he said this figure may go down if the government appeals to the patriotism of ferry owners.

[Pauldo]

Total estimated costs to evacuate 30,000 OFWs from Lebanon to Manila by ship is only $3.5 million, covering 13 trips at $270,000 per trip. Chartering a superferry, according to Pimentel, would cost $8,000 a day but he said this figure may go down if the government appeals to the patriotism of ferry owners.

Hmmm, 13 trips x 15 days each way, er, some of them will have died of old age by the time they get to the front of the queue.

Or the war will have finished and they'll be screaming out for OCW's to back and rebuild them middle east, again.

[scotsfiancee]

454 Lebanon evacuees to arrive from Syria tomorrow
08/07 6:05:36 PM

Another batch of distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from war-torn Lebanon is expected to arrive from Damascus, Syria tomorrow morning, Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo D. Brion Monday said.

Brion said the latest batch of 454 OFWs has one stretcher case and another wheel-chair case.

He added that the OFWs, whose evacuation is being undertaken with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), will be flown to Manila on board Orient Thai Airways OX-7446 which is expected to be at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by 6 :00 am.

As of Sunday, the number of evacuated OFWs brought back to Manila has reached 3,634 since evacuation began on July 23, according to records of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

So far, IOM has sponsored the repatriation of at least 1,350 OFWs from Lebanon, excluding those who are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

The DOLE disclosed that a total of 31 flights have so far been made in repatriating Lebanon evacuees, three of which were through chartered flights, another three sponsored by IOM, and twenty-five through commercial airlines.

[scotsfiancee]

MILF joins calls for Lebanon truce


By Jeoffrey Maitem
Inquirer
Last updated 03:21pm (Mla time) 08/08/2006


COTABATO CITY - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has appealed for the immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities in Lebanon where thousands of Filipinos have yet to be evacuated from the besieged Middle East country.

"This bloodbath must stop immediately and without preconditions,” Muhammad Ameen, head of the MILF secretariat, said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Israel must withdraw to its position before the start of the war on July 12," he added.

Ameen said the war waged by Israel was increasingly taking its toll on civilians, especially children and women.

He also pointed out the widespread destruction caused by Israel's air strikes particularly on vital infrastructure.

He said the MILF was also calling on the United States and Great Britain to exert all efforts to pressure Israel into agreeing to a ceasefire.

Ameen noted that only the US could pressure Israel.

Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesperson, said war would not solve the problems in the Middle East.

"We wish that the issue be resolved in a peaceful manner," he said.

good to hear from them

[scotsfiancee]

3rd batch of OFWs evacuated from Lebanon arrives in Manila

By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net
Last updated 06:54pm (Mla time) 08/08/2006


(2ND UPDATE) TWO injured Filipino domestic helpers who jumped off the apartment buildings of their employers in Lebanon were among the 456 who arrived in Manila from the Syrian capital of Damascus Tuesday morning, foreign affairs spokesman Gilbert Asuque said.

[scotsfiancee]

Congress urged to pass P500-M budget for Lebanon evacuation
By Paolo Romero
The Philippine Star 08/10/2006

Malacañang asked Congress yesterday to allocate an additional P500 million to fund the evacuation of Filipinos from war-torn Lebanon.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye made the appeal after thanking the Senate for suspending hearings on the alleged misuse of Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) funds until the crisis in Lebanon is over.

"Meanwhile, other national priorities have to be attended to," he said.

"We, therefore, urge our legislators to pass the P46.4 billion supplemental budget, which includes a P500 million package to bolster the evacuation efforts in Lebanon.

"We need the funds to provide our team on the ground more elbowroom in ensuring safe transport and other forms of assistance to our stranded nationals," Bunye said.

The OFWs stranded in Lebanon "have to be served with our undivided attention until they are all rescued," Bunye said.

Last July 26, President Arroyo issued Executive Order No. 551 creating Task Force Lebanon headed by Vice President Noli de Castro and gave it an initial funding of P1 billion.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said Malacañang saw it fit to seek an additional P500 million from Congress to cover other possible expenses in evacuating some 35,000 Filipinos in Lebanon.

OWWA Administrator Marianito Roque estimated the total cost of repatriating all Filipinos there to be at least P2 billion.

** Some Pinoys doesnt want to go back to PI, they prefer to stay in Lebanon**

[A_flyer]

Local airline volunteers to fetch Lebanon OFWs


By Jonathan Vicente, Reporter
The Manila Times - August 10, 2006

The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that the task force in charge of evacuating Filipinos from Lebanon is studying the proposal of a local airline to bring home the evacuees. Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said the task force, headed by Vice President Noli de Castro, is looking into the offer of Cebu Pacific to fly the Filipinos out of the war-torn country.
The offer came after the airline recently purchased new planes from Germany.
It said that from Germany the new planes could stop by Damascus to fetch a group of Filipino evacuees on the way to the Philippines.
Romulo met with Sabin A*boitiz, president of Aboitiz One, on the offer of Cebu Pacific.
At a news briefing Romulo said the proposal was referred to de Castro for assessment.
He said de Castro’s task force was also weighing other options or offers for assistance such as the offer by the government of Bahrain to ferry over 1,000 Filipinos from Damascus to Bahrain, from where the Philippines will arrange for the onward flights to Manila.
There are also the offers of Doris Magsaysay Ho of Magsaysay Lines to help charter passenger ships and of the Greek shipping magnate Antoniou Antonious to ferry OFWs from Beirut to transit points such as Cyprus, Mersin in Turkey, Rhodes in Greece and Tartus in Syria.
Romulo said the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the European Union and the United States were also offering to help.
“We want all Filipinos evacuated from Lebanon, and President Arroyo has reiterated that no cost will be spared in bringing them out of harm’s way. In line with this directive, we are looking at expeditious transportation to safe and secure places for our workers, and then bring them from there back home to the Philippines,” he said.
Romulo received the report of Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis, who heads the Philippine evacuation team in Syria, on the discussions with Damascus to open the sea routes to Syria.
Romulo said the Philippines is following closely the discussions in the United Nations Security Council in New York on a draft resolution on the Lebanon crisis.
He reiterated his appeal “for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities” in Lebanon.
President Arroyo has ordered the evacuation of all 30,000 Filipinos in Lebanon. So far a little more than 3,000 have arrived home.

[scotsfiancee]

5,500 OFWs repatriated by next week
August 11, 2006
Updated 15:09:27 (Mla time)
Veronica Uy
INQ7

SOME 5,500 overseas Filipino workers will have been repatriated from Lebanon by next week, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said on Friday.

Administrator Marianito Roque of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) also said that after next week, fewer OFWs would be repatriated as no more are expressing their intention to return home.

Brion told reporters at a press conference that 230 OFWs from Beirut were recently transported to the Monastery mar Ilias al-Hay Holding Center in Damascus, Syria.

On Friday, Brion said, a batch of 450 OFWs repatriated courtesy of the International Organization for Migration arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Oriental Air flight OX 7448 at 11 a.m.

IOM said another batch of 20 OFWs is scheduled to arrive at 2:05 p.m. on Itihad Airline flight EY427.

These arrivals would bring to 3,860 the total number of repatriated workers since July 23.

According to an IOM report, as of August 10, it has assisted 1,638 (1,603 adults and 35 infants or children) Filipinos return to the country on five flights.

Over the next few days, the IOM said it plans to bring 1,350 more OFWs in three batches of 450 people each. These are flights OX7449 expected to arrive 11:30 a.m. on August 12; OX7450, at 11:40 p.m. on August 13; and OX7451, at 5:30 a.m. on August 15.

Roque said the repatriation of the bodies of the two OFWs who died from falling off a building is still being arranged

[scotsfiancee]

Lebanon aid ship blocked in Cyprus

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 08:45pm (Mla time) 08/11/2006

BEIRUT - An aid ship due to bring supplies to the Lebanese port of Tyre has still not sailed to the city, despite an earlier Israeli security clearance, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday.

On Wednesday the ICRC said the long delayed cargo of relief supplies had sailed from Larnaca in Cyprus following security clearance from Israeli forces.

But the ship, which is carrying 100 tons of medical supplies and emergency kits, was still docked in Cyprus Friday, ICRC spokesman Roland Huguenin said.

Israel has imposed a sea blockade on Lebanon since it launched its massive offensive on July 12.

Until the ship arrives, the ICRC is organizing the transport of several tonnes of food on two trucks from the main southern city of Sidon to the Litani River north of Tyre.

Two bridges across the river were destroyed by Israeli bombardment more than two weeks ago, cutting off Tyre from the rest of the country.

The boxes of supplies will be "carried manually across the river and then re-loaded onto other trucks, which makes us lose precious time," Huguenin told Agence France-Presse.

Since Tuesday, the Israel military has warned that it will strike any vehicle that moves south of the Litani river.

Aid agencies have warned that relief convoys are being paralysed by the threat of Israeli bombardment, cutting at least 120,000 people off from desperately needed supplies.