The first batch of evacuees from Iraq are set to be flown back to Manila Sunday, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Saturday.

DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said the first batch of evacuees which so far reach 14 are at the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

“They will be transported to Doha, Qatar from where they will be flown (via commercial flight) to Manila on Sunday (12 January 2020),” he said.

Andolong said the number of evacuees may increase as the Philippine Embassy continues to call on other Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who wish to come home.

He said the Philippine government’s contingencies for massive repatriation are still in place as the situation in the conflict affected areas in the Middle East is unstable.

“Secretary Roy Cimatu, Special Envoy to the Middle East, is now in Qatar implementing the repatriation on the ground and constantly assessing the situation in Iran, Iraq, Libya and other neighboring states,” said Andolong.

“We are closely monitoring Kuwait which just raised its security level to maximum on January 9, 2020. The alert level within an area covering a 100-km radius from and including Tripoli, Libya was raised to Level 4 (mandatory evacuation). Outside the said 100-km radius, it remains at Alert Level 2,” he said.

“We advise our kabayans in Iraq and in Tripoli, Libya to contact the nearest Philippine mission to facilitate their mandatory evacuation,” he added.

Andolong said the first Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is on standby to assist the evacuation of Filipinos in the Middle East.

“The Phil Coast Guard ship, BRP Gabriela Silang, is in Malta and ready to sail anytime to nearby countries where Filipinos are in danger to ferry them to safer areas,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS