HELP DESK. Iloilo City Public Employment Service Office manager Gabriel Felix Umadhay briefs Mayor Jerry Treñas on the situation of Iloilo City natives who are working in Israel in this undated photo. In an interview Monday (Oct 16, 2023), Umadhay said only one of 23 city residents requested for repatriation. (PNA file photo courtesy of Jerry P. Treñas Facebook)
ILOILO CITY – An Ilongga overseas Filipino worker (OFW) has signified her intention to be repatriated from Israel while verification is ongoing on the status of another OFW reported missing amid the Israel-Gaza war.
The Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) of the city and provincial governments, in separate interviews on Monday, reported that as of Sunday, there are 217 Ilonggo OFWs in Israel.
Of the total, 23 are from Iloilo City and 194 are from 27 other municipalities of Iloilo.
Iloilo City PESO manager Gabriel Felix Umadhay said among the 23, only one wants to avail of government repatriation.
The 22 others said they are safe and have no plans of going home. Nine of them are staying in hotels in Tel Aviv.
“We established groups chat with Ilonggo OFWs in Israel for faster communication, and they can see we are making efforts to reach out,” Umadhay said, as he also recognized the help of Barangay Employment Service Offices in helping identify those coming from their locality.
He said the Ilongga OFW is working in an international hotel in Israel. She stays at the border of Lebanon and Israel, and feels that she is no longer safe in the area.
“We have coordinated with OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to help her end her contract to get repatriated,” Umadhay added.
Once home, she will be endorsed to an international hotel in Iloilo City in response to her request for a job.
Iloilo Province PESO manager Francisco Heler said aside from the reported missing, all the other Ilonggo OFWs are in good conditions.
They are also coordinating with concerned government agencies to verify any missing Ilonggo OFW.
The provincial government activated “Bulig (Help) Ilonggo” to assist OFWs in distress in Israel.
“Other than the massive information dissemination, we are tapping the network of the PESOS in different municipalities and the component city of Passi,” he said. (PNA)
