MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has waived the processing fees for travel documents of Filipinos in four stricken areas in Japan.
Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manolo Manuel Lopez said the embassy is waiving processing fees for Filipinos in Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Ibaraki.
"I have some good news for Filipinos from four stricken areas of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Ibaraki in the Mito area: we are waiving, following instructions from the DFA, the processing fees for their return to Manila. These are for the travel documents," Lopez said on ANC's "Headstart."
Interviewed on ANC's "The Rundown" on Wednesday, Lopez said it was clear to OFWs that the Philippine government could not shoulder airfare expenses for Filipinos in Japan.
"Some of them have tickets with them and their plans in place. They know that there are no free tickets back to Manila."
Forty-two Filipinos rescued from Sendai have taken temporary refuge in a Catholic parish in Tokyo.
Assistance to Pinoys
The Philippine Embassy in Japan is assisting their immediate needs, adding the Filipinos would be attended to until they fly back to Manila.
Lopez added a Good Samaritan had offered to assist earthquake victims.
Lopez expressed gratitude to kind-hearted individuals who were extending assistance to the embassy's relief efforts for Filipinos in Japan.
With supermarket supplies running out, Lopez said monetary and relief assistance was also coming in from Manila-based Japanese locators from the export processing zone, adding Philippine Airlines has expressed willingness to carry the relief goods.
Lopez said they will coordinate with other Filipinos in Fukushima who may wish to relocate. He admits having encountered logistical problems when they fetched Pinoys from hard-hit Sendai.
"Gasoline is a problem. The bus barely made it. We had to leave two minivans. The problem is gasoline and this was a five-hour road trip you have to have enough fuel with you,” he said.
‘Repatriation still voluntary’
Lopez, meanwhile, said the Philippine government cannot shoulder the cost of travel for the thousands of Filipinos in Japan.
DFA acting Secretary Albert del Rosario said repatriation is still voluntary as the embassy in Japan remains on crisis level 2.
"We're still at level No. 2. This is voluntary repatriation. So those who wish to go home may do so on their own. We are in no position at the moment to assist them in their travel to the Philippines," Lopez said.
"All flights out of Tokyo to Manila are full. The soonest anyone can be accommodated would be a week from now. So, what the others are doing, they're moving south to Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka where there are flights to the Philippines," Lopez added.
Lopez noted the Japanese government has assured the public that radiation levels were still within safe levels and no cause for alarm.
"If we go to crisis level 3, that becomes the government's responsibility. There are about, in our estimate, 300,000 Filipinos in Japan--200,000 of whom are in Tokyo. The government is prepared to absorb the total cost of repatriation if we go to crisis level 3," added del Rosario.
Speaking on an interview with ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda," del Rosario said they would extend assistance to all Filipinos in Japan, regardless the nature of their stay.
"As we move to take care of Filipinos in Japan, we will make no distinction between those who are legal and illegal who have no documentation," he said.
C-130 plane
Lopez, meantime, added that a C-130 expected to bring in a Philippine search and rescue team to Japan would have to prioritize Filipinos from the stricken areas for repatriation.
"Any day now, we expect the C-130 to arrive. We will have to prioritize those from four stricken areas should there be any passengers the C-130 can accommodate," Lopez said.
The death toll from the twin disasters in Japan has reached more than 4,300.
Police said more than 452,000 are staying in temporary shelters, while 80,000 troops have been deployed for the ongoing rescue and retrieval operations, threatened a meltdown and spiked radiation levels. (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
