Tel Aviv, Israel – There are no standing requests for repatriation from Israel given the stable security in major population centers in light of the Middle East ceasefire, Philippine Ambassador Aileen Mendiola said.
In an interview on The Newsmaker, Mendiola said while the government repatriation program is still in place, the Philippine embassy has not received requests to avail of it from Filipinos working and living in Israel.
“Wala na. Wala na ang nagre-request,” Mendiola said.
[Translation: None. No one is requesting repatriation anymore.]
Mendiola said some had previously sought to avail of repatriation assistance in the peak of conflict.
The embassy assisted around 100 pilgrims during the earlier conflict, Mendiola said.
“During the 40-day war, we assisted about 100 of them,” she said, adding that tour organizers also helped facilitate their exit from Israel.
Improving security situation
Mendiola said a number of areas have seen more stable security since the ceasefire between the United States and Iraq.
“Since the ceasefire was established, after the 40-day war, we have not experienced any security situation in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and in the nearby areas,” she said.
Security concerns, however, remain in areas close to borders.
“The point of concern that we have only is in the north, bordering Lebanon, and the areas bordering Gaza,” Mendiola said.
“In the north, we have a few. But also in the nearby kibbutzes, near the Gaza envelope, we have a few,” she added
Israel remains under Alert Level 2, an advisory where Filipinos should exercise increased caution because of heightened security risks and discouraging non-essential travel.
The ambassador earlier said the embassy could recommend allowing business travel to Israel as economic activity and bilateral engagements resume.
“We need to jumpstart business. We need to jumpstart our economic cooperation with Israel,” Mendiola said.
Despite the improved security in major Israeli cities, the ambassador said developments across the region remain a concern.
“For us, for the Philippines, what we want is peace,” she said.
“One of the bigger considerations that we have is the number of Filipinos we have in the region. Any security situation that would destabilize the peace in the region would also have an impact on our kababayans [countrymen],” Mendiola said.
The relative calm comes after years of conflict that killed Palestinians and Israelis.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. United Nations humanitarian data, citing Israeli authorities, have reported that more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed in Israel during the attack and its immediate aftermath, while thousands were injured.
In Gaza, more than 71,000 Palestinians had been reported killed by the end of 2025, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health figures cited by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. More than 171,000 injuries had also been reported. The UN notes that casualty figures it has not independently verified are attributed to their original sources.
