Lebanon Evacuation

THE GOVERNMENT will seek the help of lawyers for Filipino workers being prevented by their Lebanese employers from returning to the Philippines, according to Vice President Noli de Castro.

De Castro, head of Task Force Lebanon, said there were at least 100 Filipinos who have escaped from their employers and have sought shelter at the Philippine embassy.

In an interview in Malacañang Tuesday, De Castro said the government planned to hire two Lebanese lawyers to give legal assistance to the workers and help them return home.

Since a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel took effect last month, De Castro said Lebanese employers had become stricter with Filipino workers who have wanted to return home.

But De Castro said that despite the ceasefire, many workers still wanted to leave Lebanon.

He said the repatriation of workers would continue even with the relative peace. He added that a government ban on deployment of OFWs to Lebanon was still being enforced.

But De Castro said that a number of Filipinos were taking advantage of the ceasefire and were entering Lebanon to find work there. He said these Filipinos would enter as tourists, mostly coming from neighboring Syria and Jordan.