President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government is crafting a plan with the help of different agencies to repatriate more than 400 Filipinos who are willing to return home amid the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

The President made the remarks during an interview on the sidelines of his participation in the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Vientiane, Laos.

“And because of that, I asked to see… to speak to all of the concerned agencies para malaman paano talaga, paano natin iuuwi ang mga Pinoy na naipit ngayon sa Lebanon,” the President told reporters when asked about the Zoom meeting he called for earlier.

“There are more than 400 now who would want to be repatriated. So, basically, we’re just putting the plans together how we will bring them back home as quickly as possible,” he added.

The repatriation remains at Level 3. Elevating it to Level 4 will depend on the prevailing situation. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine embassy are doing the assessment before changing the response level.

There is also a directive issued to shipowners warning them to avoid sailing near the conflict areas to ensure their safety, the President said.

“So, I got the report early this (Wednesday) morning na mayroon tayong binigay na directive sa ating mga kaibigan na shipowners na huwag na silang dadaan doon sa mga delikadong lugar. And so, that’s what we did,” he said. Presidential News Desk