MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv has recommended to lower–from 3 to 2–the alert level in Israel following the “normalization” of activities in the Jewish state amid the ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised Alert Level 3 in the Middle East following the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, indicating voluntary repatriation for all Filipinos living and working in the said countries.
The Israeli government on Wednesday evening declared returning to “full activity status” in the entire country following the ceasefire with Iran.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command made the announcement at about 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 24.
DFA Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs Germinia Aguilar-Usudan, said that the recommendation came from Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola-Rau.
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“For Israel, there is already a recommendation to lower it to alert level 2. But we still have to get the approval of the secretary,” she said, referring to Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.
However, Aguilar-Usudan said that there was no similar recommendation for Tehran, which will remain under alert level 3.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said that lowering the alert level to 2 in Israel “could be one of the last things that he does, as secretary, so soon,” referring to Manalo.
Manalo will be replaced by Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro while he will be the incoming Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
The embassy said that it would resume consular services next week following the ceasefire announcement. It led to the lifting of “all movement and gathering restrictions” by the IDF.
“Therefore, schools and places of work can now be opened and there will be no more limits in any gathering or worship [activities],” the embassy posted on Facebook on Wednesday.
“However, the embassy still advises all Filipinos in Israel to remain alert and always monitor IDF safety guidelines and embassy safety advisories,” it added.
The embassy will reopen and resume consular, Migrant Workers Office, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration services on Monday, June 30.
“The Embassy will spend the following days prior to its reopening to continue reaching out and providing assistance to Filipinos affected by the recent conflict,” it added.