Ukraine-Kiev Gate, February 27, 2022 – The office of Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said on Saturday that he has arrived in Poland to oversee the evacuation of Filipinos from Ukraine, with the escalation of Russian attacks on the eastern European country.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine began in the early hours of Thursday morning with a multi-pronged ground offensive and air strikes on military bases and cities, including the capital, Kiev. The attacks have since forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee across Ukraine’s borders to Poland, Romania and Moldova.
So far, more than 40 of the 380 Filipinos in Ukraine have fled Kiev and arrived in the western city of Lviv, near the Polish border. According to Philippine government data, only 181 Filipinos have so far coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs to facilitate their repatriation.
In a series of posts on Twitter after his arrival in Poland, Locsin said many Filipinos were “reluctant to go”.
Where employers demand that they stay behind.
Leah Basinang Ruiz, Manila’s ambassador to Poland, said the embassy “is committed to helping the remaining Filipinos in Kiev and in other parts of Ukraine get them out of harm’s way while there is still time.”
Last week, the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw sent a consular team to Lviv to establish an emergency liaison base.
As the situation in Ukraine deteriorates, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Department of National Defense is ready to transport Filipinos to safety.
“The Ministry of National Defense views developments in Ukraine with great concern,” Lorenzana said in a statement on Saturday.
