Tolentino calls on DFA, DOLE to expedite repatriation of Filipinos from Afghanistan

Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino on Monday urged the Foreign Affairs and Labor Departments to expedite the repatriation of Filipinos in Afghanistan following Taliban's takeover of the entire country.

Tolentino underscored the need to quickly repatriate Filipinos working in Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of capital Kabul after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

"As the humanitarian, political, and security crisis in Afghanistan continues to worsen, the need to immediately repatriate the remaining Filipinos in Afghanistan becomes even more urgent as each day passes," said Tolentino.

The Philippine Embassy in Pakistan reported that there are 200 remaining Filipinos in Afghanistan, with most working as hotel managers, professors, accountants, company managers, and engineers.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, for its part, said some 75 Filipinos are already awaiting repatriation.

Tolentino said the DFA and the DOLE are mandated under Republic Act No. 8042, or the "Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995," to work together to ensure the protection of migrant workers and other Filipinos abroad, including their repatriation in emergency situations.

The law also provides that the protection and the promotion of the welfare of Filipino migrant workers shall be the highest priority concerns of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Philippine Foreign Service Posts.