Pinoys in Ukraine can still grab free repatriation flights: DFA

MANILA – The Philippine government’s free repatriation flight offer for Filipinos in Ukraine is still on the table, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday amid the escalating tensions in the region.

To date, there are more than 300 Filipinos living in Ukraine.

“Our chief and singular concern is to take out of harm’s way our fellow Filipinos in Ukraine and bringing them to the nearest places of safety by the fastest possible way,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said in a statement.

“Our offer to take Filipinos in Kiev is underway and Usec. Sarah Arriola is spearheading the repatriation effort for Filipinos who want to come home,” he added. Arriola is the undersecretary for the migrant workers’ affairs office at the DFA.

As of February 18, the DFA has repatriated six Filipinos from the European nation.

Last week, the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, which exercises jurisdiction over Ukraine, also deployed a consular team to Kyiv to enable faster coordination with the Filipino community and relevant authorities.

DFA’s statement comes as tensions mount in the region following the announcement of President Vladimir Putin that Russia would officially recognize certain areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Moscow’s decision can be considered “a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.

The Philippine Embassy in Moscow, meanwhile, stands ready to assist Filipinos who want to enter Russia from Ukraine.

“As part of our normal job here at the Embassy, we stand ready to provide assistance to Filipinos who seek to enter Russia on humanitarian or emergency grounds in coordination with the Russian Federation authorities, which is our normal mandate,” it said in a February 22 statement.

“[W]e note that Russia and the Philippines are both members of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which espouses and promotes the safe and orderly movement of people, (and) safe and orderly migration across boundaries,” it added.

But it advised all Filipinos planning to travel near the borders of Russia and Ukraine, including Russian cities Rostov-on-Don, Belgorod, and Kursk, to remain vigilant and monitor advisories from the embassy and Russian government authorities.

The DFA said Filipinos may reach the Philippine Embassy in Poland through +48 604 357 396 (WhatsApp and Viber), +48 694 491 663 (Assistance to Nationals), and warsaw.pe@dfa.gov.ph

The Philippine Embassy in Russia, on the other hand, may be reached through +79067382538 (WhatsApp and Viber).