INIHAYAG ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na walang ipinatupad sa ngayon ang pamahalaan na travel ban sa bansang Israel.
Nabanggit ito ni DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega sa press briefing sa Malacañang nitong Martes, Oktubre 10.
Pero giit ni De Vega, bagama’t walang travel ban sa Israel, ay nag-isyu naman ang embahada ng Pilipinas ng travel advisory na iwasan muna ang pagbiyahe patungo sa naturang bansa.
‘‘We haven’t put a travel ban on Israel. But our embassy has issued a travel advisory, so as much as possible, avoid traveling right now. I’m sure, even (unclear) officials would echo that, kasi– of course if you insist though, the holy land sites are not where the hostilities are happening,’’ ayon kay Usec. Eduardo De Vega, DFA.
Mainam aniya na kung posible, ipagpaliban ang mga pagbiyahe sa Israel kahit sa holy land tourist sites nito, lalo’t nagdeklara ang Prime Minister ng Israel ng ‘’state of war’’.
‘‘For example, Jerusalem, which is, about an hour’s drive away from Tel Aviv is closer to the West Bank or you might say, it’s part West Bank and Bethlehem is in the Palestinian Territories, a few minutes from Jerusalem, wala doong hostilities. In North Nazareth, where Jesus Christ (unclear) is also a popular tourist place,’’ ayon pa kay Usec. De Vega.
Saad ng DFA official, maiging hintayin na lamang na ganap nang matiyak na natapos na ang labanan sa pagitan ng Israel at Gaza.
‘‘So, it’s not normal for somebody who wants to visit a country, which is in a state of war. So, it’s not a ban, there’s no ban, but if you could, mamayang kaunti. If you are a tourist and there is a problem, there were some people nahirapang umuwi recently, pero nakauwi rin. So, an advisory is held off muna,’’ dagdag pa ni De Vega.
Una rito, inirekomenda ng Philippine Embassy sa Tel Aviv ang “indefinite suspension” ng biyahe patungo sa Israel Dahil sa lumalalang sitwasyon.
Abiso ng embahada, ipagpaliban na lamang ang biyahe hanggang sa maging maayos na ang sitwasyon.
Whole-of-government approach, ipinapatupad kaugnay ng sitwasyon sa Israel at Gaza—DFA
Kaugnay dito, ibinahagi ng pamahalaan ang pagpapatupad ng whole-of-government approach kaugnay ng sitwasyon sa Israel at Gaza.
Sang-ayon na rin ito sa direktiba ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,
‘‘As mentioned, the President has given instructions to our agencies – it is a whole-of-government approach, it does not involve only the DFA and the DMW, including DMW-OWWA but we are meeting with other government agencies such as the Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other offices as we work together to ensure the safety and protection of our kababayans in Israel and Gaza,’’ ayon kay Usec. De Vega.
Tuluy-tuloy din ang pagmo-monitor ng DFA sa pamamagitan ng mga embahada ng bansa sa Tel Aviv, Amman, at Cairo.
Inaaksyunan naman ng DMW ang natanggap nitong 83 assistance requests matapos magsagawa ng safety surveys ang ahensiya.
Samantala, wala pang natatanggap ang pamahalaan na repatriation request mula sa mga Pilipino sa Israel, habang nasa proseso na ang repatriation ng 38 na indibidwal sa Gaza.
Israeli gov’t, tiniyak ang kapakanan ng mga Pinoy at iba pang nationalities sa Israel—Ambassador
Samantala, tiniyak naman ni Ambassador Ilan Fluss, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines, na pangangalagaan ng Israeli government ang mga Pilipinong naninirahan at nagtatrabaho sa Israel, gayundin ang kaligtasan ng iba pang dayuhan doon.
Sa Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, sinabi ni Fluss na nakatuon ang gobyerno ng Israel hindi lamang sa kanilang mga mamamayan, bagkus, nakakukuha rin ng parehong proteksiyon ang mga dayuhang nakatira roon.
‘‘The Israeli government is committed for the wellbeing of all Filipinos and all other nationals that are living in Israel. We are committed to them the same as we are committed to the wellbeing of Israeli citizens. We do not discriminate. They get the same protection and they follow the same protocols. They live with us and amongst us,’’ ayon kay Amb. Ilan Fluss, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines.
Kasama ng DFA sa press briefing sa Malacañang ang Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) at Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
