The provincial and city governments are ready to assist llonggos who might be affected by the war in Israel.

In an interview on Tuesday, Mayor Jerry Treñas said he plans to write a letter to the Philippine Embassy to inquire if there are Ilonggos trapped in the war area.

“I think either we are number two or number three in the number of OFWs (overseas Filipino workers). There could be a chance that there are Ilonggos there,” he said.

Treñas added he would talk with city Public Employment Service Office (PESO) manager Gabriel Felix Umadhay on the possibility of establishing a desk to cater to families who would want to inquire about their kin in Israel.

Francisco Heller, manager of the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of Iloilo province, said the Overseas Filipinos and Migration Development Center under his division is ready to assist Ilonggo OFWs or attend to inquiries from their relatives.

“We are waiting for those who need help. We are ready to facilitate just like before,” he said in a separate interview.

In 2020, the provincial government helped establish the 24/7 “Bulig Ilonggo” help desk to also attend to the concerns of OFWs affected by the tension in the Middle East.

“First, we will help in terms of information that we can give and refer them to Arthur Defensor Jr. for any assistance once they are repatriated. But first, the governor would want to know the situation and their needs,” Heller said.

He said interventions that are within the turf of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will be endorsed to the concerned offices.

OWWA officer-in-charge Regional Director Rizza Joy Moldes, in a text message, said their central office monitors OFWs in Israel in close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the DMW.

“Here at the regional office, we will facilitate requests for assistance of the family of OFWs in Israel, then endorse to DMW and OWWA central office,” she said. (PNA)