First batch of Pinoys from Gaza arrive in Manila
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 01/09/2009 9:21 PM
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Sixteen Filipino nationals and their families who were evacuated from war-torn Gaza have arrived in the Philippines Friday evening.
The evacuees arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on board a Thai Airways plane at around 7 p.m. Friday.
The 16 Filipino evacuees, 13 of whom are children, left Bangkok, Thailand from Amman, Jordan. They were among the 250 foreigners evacuated from Gaza as the fighting between Israeli and Hamas forces continues.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier identified the 16 Filipino evacuees as Nenita Hamudi and her four children, Leila Chavez Salama and her five children, Annabel Abu Hassira and her four children.
Hamudi, Salama, and Hassira all have Palestinian husbands, and their children have dual Filipino and Palestinian citizenships.
Prior to their arrival, newly designated DFA spokesman Ambassador Bayani Mangibin and the Gaza-evacuees’ relatives have been waiting at the NAIA’s gate 16 to welcome the arrival of the evacuues.
The Philippine government will immediately extend assistance to the Pinoys from Gaza. Many Filipinos have opted to remain in Gaza to be with their Palestinian spouses who were prevented to leave by Israeli government.
The evacuees left the Israeli territory through the Erez Crossing, a pedestrian exit from the Gaza strip to Israel. They were met by officials from the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv led by Philippine Ambassador to Israel Petronila Garcia and Labor Attaché Miriam Quasay.
From the Erez Crossing, the Filipino evacuees reached Amman via the Allenby Bridge.
Pinoys in Israel safe, says ambassador
Philippine Ambassador to Israel Petronila Garcia, meanwhile, said Filipinos living and working in Israel are all safe.
“The Filipinos in Israel come here to work as caregivers so they live in the homes, in the families of the persons they care for,” Garcia said.
Garcia said that there are bomb shelters in Israel and a siren notifies people of possible rocket attacks.
“Here in Israel, there are bomb shelters in which they can hide. There is a siren that goes up and people are able to go into the bomb shelters whenever there is a rocket attack,” the ambassador said.
She added: “Of course, that usually gives them about 30 seconds but since every house has a bomb shelter, that is sufficient.”
Garcia is hopeful that a ceasefire would finally come between Gaza and Israel.
“Well, there seems to be a very strong indication that there are a lot of parties that are trying to bring about a ceasefire. We are optimistic that something would come out soon,” she said.
The ambassador could not give a specific answer as to when the ceasefire would come.
“I’m sure that everybody is trying to work on a ceasefire. I don’t know when would this happen. It could happen anytime sooner, it could happen a little later. It’s really hard to say,” she said.
