Syria/Philippines - A group of 261 Filipino nationals who were sheltering in the compound of the Philippine embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus returned yesterday (18/10) to the Philippines aboard an IOM-chartered flight.

This is the second IOM-chartered flight to return Filipinos from Syria.  The first was in August, when another 263 migrants were assisted to return home.

Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, IOM has assisted over 800 Filipino Overseas Foreign Workers (OFWs) to return home. According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, there are over 5,000 Filipino nationals still in Syria.

IOM worked closely with the Philippine embassy in Damascus and the Syrian authorities through the complex extraction process and successfully negotiated with the Syrian authorities, who agreed to waive all exit fees and contractual penalties for liable individuals in the group.

Many migrants often face problems linked to their legal status in the country and fees required for broken contracts, inability to pay for air tickets and exit permits, and insecurity around them. Others cannot leave because recruiting agencies, employers or government officials are holding their passports.
 
Meanwhile, IOM has scaled up the distribution of hygiene and winterization items to internally displaced Syrians sheltering in collective centres and host communities in Homs, Suwayda, Rif Damascus and Damascus. It plans to initiate distributions in Quneitra Governorate, south of Damascus shortly. To date, a total of 16,624 people have received urgently needed shelter, insulation materials, blankets and personal hygiene kits.

IOM’s humanitarian work in Syria and neighboring countries thus far is being funded by the USA, Switzerland, Slovakia, Chile, IOM’s Migration Emergency Funding Mechanism (MEFM) and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

The Organization has recently re-appealed for USD 20.7 million to continue its work in the region. To date, IOM has received US$ 5 million from donors towards its relief operations.

For more information, please contact  

Maria Rumman
IOM Damascus
Email: mrumman@iom.int
Tel. +963.933311204  

or  

Kent Madarcos
IOM Manila
Tel. +63 22301757
Email: kmadarcos@iom.int