00:00 In the Philippines, the 18 Filipinos who returned home from Lebanon
00:06 after being trapped by Israel's tensions and the Hezbollah group that supports Hamas.
00:12 Raffy P. is live.
00:14 Vicky, it's great and fortunate that the 18 OFWs from Lebanon returned to the Philippines
00:24 who were trapped by the ongoing war and tensions in the area after the war between Israel and Hamas.
00:31 In their fight here in Naiya, it seems that they were struck by lightning.
00:34 Now, they are in the Philippines.
00:36 Even when they were just out of the plane, the joy of these OFWs from Lebanon was not hidden.
00:46 Officials and members of the Department of Migrant Workers, or DMW, met them.
00:51 Thank you, thank you.
00:53 Thank you.
00:55 This is the second largest batch of volunteers who are repatriated from Lebanon
00:59 since the first batch arrived on October 28.
01:01 Among them were the 51-year-old first-time OFW Vicky Son.
01:07 She could barely sleep and eat because of the shots heard by the Israeli Defense Force
01:13 and the Hezbollah group that supports Hamas in Gaza.
01:17 She has been an OFW for eight months and entered Lebanon as a tourist.
01:21 But because she did not go through the process, she did not know the situation in Lebanon
01:25 and did not expect to be trapped in the war.
01:28 My two children are studying in college.
01:31 Our financial situation is not good.
01:33 Even though I am old, I still prefer to work abroad.
01:38 Vicky and other new financial aid recipients from DMW, OWA, DSWD and livelihood training from TESDA
01:46 are all in the process of being repatriated.
01:48 She says she will temporarily leave because she will not be able to work abroad.
01:52 I will just start a business for my family.
01:57 Make sure that until the province returns, our OFWs will not be expensive
02:03 and that their money will not be reduced and will be added
02:08 because of the help of various government agencies.
02:13 If they will return, it will all depend on the individual.
02:17 If they want to return, but in the meantime, they will not be able to return
02:21 because it is a voluntary repatriation and deployment is restricted at the moment.
02:29 In total, 82 OFWs are already from Lebanon who voluntarily repatriated.
02:34 This is not only for the 28 overseas Filipinos based in Lebanon
02:38 who also decided to permanently return to the Philippines
02:41 because of the chaos in the region.
02:43 On December 19, there are still 18 OFWs expected to arrive here in the Philippines from Lebanon
02:53 after volunteering to be repatriated just in time to celebrate Christmas here in the Philippines
02:59 saved from the war.
03:00 And that's the latest from IA Terminal 3.
03:03 Vicky?
03:04 Thank you very much, Rafi Tima.
03:07 [Newsreel Narration]
03:23 [Music]
