With the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs, through its embassy in Beirut, 410 overseas Filipinos in Lebanon will be making their way back home to the Philippines. Out of the 410 Pinoys, 20 have suffered injuries from the horrific explosions that occurred on August 4, 2020 at the port of Beirut.
According to Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Y. Arriola, "The DFA chartered flight is expected to leave Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport at 11:10 p.m. tonight. The flight will also bring home the remains of our four kababayans who perished in the blast."
There have been constant efforts by the Philippine government to repatriate overseas Filipinos in Lebanon and this is the latest batch of Pinoys who will be making their way back to Philippine soil. As of writing, there are a total of 1,918 Filipino repatriates from Lebanon.
However, despite having several Pinoys eager to return to their loved ones, not everyone was able to join the repatriation flight immediately. The DFA is working on arranging another chartered flight from Beirut, to accommodate those who remain in Lebanon. As per DFA Undersecretary Arriola, "We will come back for you."
The group of overseas Filipinos coming from Beirut will be on board Qatar Airways Flight QR 3150. They are scheduled to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) tomorrow, August 17, 2020 at 1:25 p.m.