FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. yesterday said the evacuation of Filipinos from Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev is underway amid fears of a Russian invasion after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to separatist regions in the conflict-torn eastern European country.
“Our chief and singular concern is to take out of harm’s way our fellow Filipinos in Ukraine and bringing them to nearest places of safety by the fastest way possible,” he said.
Locsin also said leading the repatriation effort is Sarah Lou Arriola, undersecretary for Migrant Workers Concerns.
Locsin earlier gave the assurance that Filipinos in Ukraine will not be harmed amid the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
On Tuesday, the DFA said a consular team from the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw has arrived in Lviv, Ukraine and is supervising requests for relocation or repatriation of Filipinos who want to leave the country.
About 380 Filipinos are living and working in Ukraine, most of whom are in Lviv which is located far from the country’s eastern border with Russia.
Last week, the first batch of six Filipinos who sought government’s assistance for repatriation returned to Manila from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the Philippines can join peace-loving countries in asking Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine.
Lacson, who is seeking the presidency, said the Philippines may be a small country but it can join the international community in calling on Russia to stop its plan.
“Join the community of nations in condemning because, after all, it’s an encroachment of international law,” Lacson said in a chance interview during their campaign sortie in Batangas.
Lacson said a full-scale invasion may set a precedent for China which is also encroaching on Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
Lacson said once a full-scale invasion of Ukraine succeeds, it will have a negative impact on the country, particularly on the economy, as allied forces like the European Union, the United States, and Australia would impose more sanctions on Russia.
He said this will even send prices of oil products higher. — With Raymond Africa
