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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
June 20, 2025 | 12:56pm
This picture shows the empty arrivals hall at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025 after Israel closed its air space to takeoff and landing.
AFP / Jack Guez
MANILA, Philippines — Six Filipinos, including one overseas Filipino worker, crossed safely from Israel to Jordan on Wednesday, June 18, as part of the initial group of evacuees taking the land route out of Israel.
The Philippine Embassy in Jordan said Thursday night (Philippine time) that the six who crossed the King Hussein border — about an hour from Amman — included engineer Edsel Sarquilla, an OFW, and four stranded tourists.
Philippine Ambassador Wilfredo Santos and other embassy officials received the six Filipinos at the border before taking them through immigration to receive their transit visas.
Their transfer was coordinated between the Philippines' embassies in Amman and Tel Aviv.
"They're just waiting for their return flights, because not all flights are available right now. Despite the opening of the airspace [of Jordan] not all airlines are providing services at the moment," Santos said in an interview with Radyo Pilipinas on Friday morning, June 20.
The Philippine embassy in Jordan earlier received 21 Philippine government officials who were on a study tour in Israel and were trapped when the exchange of missiles with Iran began.
The embassy is preparing to receive more Filipino evacuees from Israel in the coming days. At least 26 out of over a hundred Filipinos in Israel who sought repatriation will take the same route.
Preparations for next groups. "The Philippine Embassy in Amman is making necessary preparations for the next group of OFWs set to cross. Ocular inspections of the border are currently being conducted," the Philippine embassy in Jordan said in its statement on Thursday.
Israel's airspace has been shut since Israel and Iran began trading missile strikes on June 13. Israel's military had launched unprecedented strikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, which prompted Iran to retaliate with waves of missile and drone attacks across Israel.
Both countries have since continued exchanging air strikes daily, with civilian casualties on both sides.
Jordan — which is between Israel and Iraq — has kept its airspace open after briefly shutting it hours after Israel began its assault on Iran.
Repatriation process. For Filipinos who want to join the voluntary repatriation program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Philippine Embassy in Israel this week advised them to send an email to [email protected] with a copy of their passport, latest visa and mobile number.
