MANILA, Philippines, December 2 ------ House Deputy Majority Leader and ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo said that the 28,000 Filipino workers in Israel were safe. He issued the statement after being assured by Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss that his government is doing everything to protect Filipinos as the war with Hamas-led militants continues. "We have a lot of Filipino friends and they have a lot of relatives in Israel right now. How are they?" Tulfo asked when the ambassador paid him a courtesy visit last Nov. 27 at the House of Representatives.
Fluss assured him that Filipinos are being treated like Israelis. "In their homes, we have a shelter or a safety room. They (Filipinos) are not sent close to the borders or war-torn areas. We are making sure that where they stay they have a safety room, a shelter, and if they need anything, they have a number they can call," the envoy said. He explained that Filipinos were working in their "green zone" or "safe area." Many of the more than 28,000 Filipinos in Israel are caregivers or hotel personnel.
Fluss also informed Tulfo that Israel needed more Filipino workers. "We need workers in agriculture, in construction, in industries, in hotels, in restaurants. There are about 11 professions that we are looking for workers from overseas," the envoy said. "The war has totally affected the deployment of Filipinos." Fluss added that Israel was helping the families of Filipinos who were affected by the war. "They are getting full support from the Israeli government, like any other Israeli victim of terror. If they need special assistance for education, for medical. So those families are being taken care of. We had two Filipinos that were taken hostage. Of course both were released. One of them is back here," the envoy said.
Source: manilatimes.net
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