After Saturday's attack, Magno readily got in touch with DMW Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones to determine the number of OFWs in the Eastern Mindanao that's currently working in Israel.
Based on the DMW record from 2021 to August 2023 alone, there are 5,243 OFWs deployed in Israel of which 138 are from Mindanao. Of the 138 OFWs, 122 are from Regions 10, 11, 12 and 13.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, based on their 2021 data, said that there are 26,558 Filipinos living in Israel including permanent, documented, undocumented Filipino migrants and OFWs.
Magno said that the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is already doing its best to secure Filipinos in Israel.
President Marcos has ordered government agencies to closely coordinate with the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Israel to secure the Filipinos affected by the ongoing conflict.
The President has instructed the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to locate and account for all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families in Israel.
The DMW has meanwhile opened a hotline and several Viber and WhatsApp hotline numbers that will accept calls and queries from OFWs and the Filipino community who are in need of government assistance.
Latest report from the DFA showed that 22 Filipinos have been rescued by Israeli security forces while 7 remain unaccounted for and cannot be contacted on their mobile and social media accounts. (OPAMINE)