Some Filipino workers in Syria are terrified of the hostilities, but they chose to stay because of the lack of job opportunity in the Philippines, a Filipino community leader said today.
“Iyong iba natatakot sila. Gusto na nila talagang umuwi. Iyong iba gusto nilang umuwi pero nanghihinayang sila sa trabaho nila (They are frightened. They want to go home. Some of them want to go home, but they are thinking of their jobs here),” Jackie Casawat, president of the Filipino community in Syria, said in an interview with radio dzMM.
Casawat, meanwhile, assured that all Filipinos working in Syria, particularly those based in Latakia and other critical areas, are safe.
She said that as of now, no Filipinos have come forward to avail of the repatriation offer of the Philippine government.
“Kapag umuwi sila sa Pilipinas, ano po ang magiging trabaho namin? (If we return to the Philippines, are there jobs waiting for us?)” Casawat added.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has raised Alert Level 3 in Syria. Under the alert level, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are advised to seek repatriation that will be funded by the Philippine government.
Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz said yesterday that only four OFWs have asked to be repatriated from the violence-stricken country.
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