PHL EMBASSIES IN DAMASCUS AND BEIRUT, IOM REPATRIATE 22 FILIPINOS FROM SYRIA
Left photo: Vice Consul Dennis John Briones (center) along with IOM staff receives the passports and travel documents of repatriates from Damascus PE Vice Consul Meynard Maleon (second from left) and Damascus PE ATN officer Marianne Vida Cara (leftmost); Right photo: ATN officer Dexter Macaraeg pose with the repatriates inside the bus at the Masnaa border.
23 December 2013 - The Philippine Embassies in Damascus, Syria and Beirut, Lebanon with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) once again facilitated the successful repatriation to the Philippines of another batch of 22 Filipinos from Syria on December 20. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) again provided the airfare, land transportation and meals of this batch of repatriates.
Two teams from the Philippine Embassy assisted in the repatriation of this batch of Filipinos repatriates. The first team composed of Vice Consul Dennis John Briones and Assistance to Nationals (ATN) officer Dexter Macaraeg assisted the group in the morning of December 18 at the Masnaa border. With the assistance of the IOM, Vice Consul Briones and ATN officer Macaraeg received the 22 Filipinos from the team from the Embassy in Damascus. After being processed at the General Security (immigration) in Masnaa, the 22 Filipinos were escorted directly to the Embassy where they stayed overnight. Four Embassy personnel namely: Cultural Officer Gladys Perey, Finance Officer Dorotea Apostol, Consular Staff Melissa Mancenido and Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Resource Center Houseparent Gina Murillo took turns taking care of the repatriates during their stay in the Embassy.
Left photo: Vice Consul Rona Beth Goce (standing, fourth from right) pose with the repatriates while at the boarding gate at the Rafik Hariri International Airport; Right photo: ATN / Legal Officer Junaid Ali (fourth from right) assists the repatriates at the boarding gate of the Rafik Hariri International Airport
Another Embassy team composed of Vice Consul Rona Beth Goce and ATN/Legal officer Junaid Ali brought the repatriates to and assisted them at the Rafik Hariri International Airport where they took their flight out of Beirut. At exactly 4:30 p.m., the repatriates left Beirut for Abu Dhabi where they would be taking their flight to Manila. The group was scheduled to arrive in Manila on December 20 at 03:15 p.m. via Etihad Airways flight EY 424.
This was the 42nd cross-border operation undertaken by the two Embassies. The departure of this group of 22 Filipinos brought the total number of Filipinos repatriated from Syria to 2,064 via the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut since the first cross-border operations on December 12.
INDONESIAN COMMUNITY IN DOHA DONATES TEN THOUSAND QATARI RIYALS (QR10,000) FOR TYPHOON YOLANDA VICTIMS
23 December 2013 - Ambassador Crescente Relacion receives the cash donations amounting to ten thousand Qatari riyals (approximately US$ 2,746) from Indonesian community leaders, accompanied by the officials of Indonesian Embassy for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on December 17. Witnessing the hand-over is Vice Consul Melvin Almonguera (left).
PHL EMBASSY RECEIVES CHECK DONATION FROM AL KHALIJI BANK IN QATAR FOR YOLANDA VICTIMS
23 December 2013- Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente Relacion received on December 16 the cheque donation for Yolanda victims amounting to 51,000 Qatari riyals (approximately USD 14,000) from Mr. Robin McCall (2nd from left), Group Chief Executive Officer of Al Khaliji Bank, Qatar, together with Mr. Saad Shahaheen M.M. Al-Kaabi (rightmost), Director of Resources Mobilization & Investment, Qatar Red Crescent. The donation shall be coursed through the Philippine Red Cross.
