‘WAR VICTIM’
THE Philippines is losing about P7.4 billion in cash remittances from the thousands of migrant Filipino workers, mostly caregivers and private duty nurses, affected by the war between Israel and Palestine Islamic Resistance Movement or Hamas.
Based on the estimates, Filipino workers in Israel send to their families here in the Philippines around $131 million (or P7.4 billion) in cash transfers on an annual basis.
Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said this ballpark figure covers dollars coursed through bank as well as non-bank remittance channels.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier reported that three Filipinos workers – a 33-year-old female nurse from Pangasinan, a 42-year-old male caregiver from Pampanga, and a 49-year-old female caregiver from Negros Occidental – have been killed in Hamas attacks against Israel.
Meanwhile, Pimentel offered condolences to the families of the three Filipinos.
“Our hearts go out to their loved ones,” Pimentel said.
The compulsory repatriation of Filipinos in Israel “is still not being recommended” despite the three deaths, according to the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv.
The DFA has so far raised Alert Level 2 in Israel, which means that the non-essential movement of Filipinos there is restricted, and that there will be no fresh deployments of workers to that country.
The DFA has four alert levels – Alert Level 1 or the precautionary phase, Alert Level 2 or restriction phase, Alert Level 3 or voluntary repatriation phase, and Alert Level 4 for mandatory evacuation or repatriation.
Alert Level 4 is issued when the host country is experiencing “large-scale internal conflict or full-blown external attack.”
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