CAIRO: The Philippines government on Monday announced it had evacuated some 280 Filipino workers from war-torn Syria and they would be arriving back in the Southeast Asian country on Tuesday. The first group of 263 people will arrive in Manila at early morning Tuesday on a chartered Jordan Aviation Airlines and the rest will travel via Emirates Airlines and arrive in the afternoon. The group was allowed to come home without having to secure the mandatory exit requirements. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario visited Syria last week to request the Syrian government to waive departure permit fees for the Filipinos. Latest estimates indicate there are about 4,000 Filipino workers remaining in Syria. “The Filipino workers were repatriated due to the escalating violence and worsening security condition in the Middle East state,” the foreign ministry said.
