MANILA – Philippine government officials who were stranded in Israel due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran successfully crossed the border to Jordan, where they will be awaiting their flight home, the Embassy of the Philippines in Amman confirmed in a statement.
According to the Embassy, 21 government officials safely arrived in Jordan on Wednesday and were welcomed by Philippine Ambassador Wilfredo C. Santos and embassy officials at the King Hussein Border.
“This coordinated effort was made possible through close collaboration between the Philippine Embassies in Tel Aviv and Amman,” the statement read.
“The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv actively coordinated with the Philippine Embassy in Jordan, relevant authorities, and made the necessary representations with the Israeli Government in support of this mission,” the statement added.
In Amman, the Embassy made formal representations to Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, and the Jordanian Border Security to secure entry clearance for the officials.
Upon arrival, the Embassy mentioned that the group were provided with the necessary assistance and were issued transit visas.
Earlier, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss reiterated Israel’s commitment to assist the Filipino officials and to make sure that they can go home safely as soon as possible.
Fluss mentioned that they will be coordinating with Jordanian authorities to secure safe passage to all those who want to leave Israel.
This was echoed by Irit Savion Waidergorn, Deputy Head of Mashav Israel Agency for Development Cooperation.
She said that “everything is being done for the safe travel as soon as possible, hopefully already this week.”
“All expenses are being fully financed by the government of Israel,” she added.
The government officials were in Israel to participate in a study tour on urban agriculture and green cities, while another group of officials were visiting to learn about dairy farming and sharing of best practices.
Waidergorn explained that the delegation, along with four other groups of local government officials from Asia, Africa and Latin America, was supposed to participate in the Muni Expo 2025 that was scheduled to take place on June 15 to 19.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Jordan is expecting to receive the first group of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) exiting Israel through Jordan.
According to the Embassy, they will be providing the OFWs with the necessary assistance in the repatriation process.
The Embassy reminded the Filipinos in the West Bank who may need assistance to contact the Embassy through ATN Hotlines at +962 77 907 7778, +962 77 907 7775, +962 77 798 8818, +962 77 721 9000, and +962 6 590 1730 for consular assistance.
