The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) informs the public that it has raised Alert Level 2 (Restriction Phase) in Sri Lanka due to the security situation in the country. Under Alert Level 2, there will be no new deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Sri Lanka, and only those with existing employment contracts are allowed to return to the country.
The DFA, through the Philippine Embassy in Dhaka, is in constant coordination with the Filipino community in Sri Lanka in light of the mass protests in the country due to the ongoing economic crisis.
According to the Embassy, no Filipinos were reported injured during the recent incidence of violent protests. The Department, in coordination with the office of the Philippine Honorary Consul General in Colombo, will be providing the needed assistance to Filipinos severely affected by the crisis.
The Department would like to emphasize that there are no plans yet to evacuate Filipinos from Sri Lanka at this time.
Amid continuing tensions in the country, the DFA reminds Filipinos there to remain in their residences as much as possible, avoid areas where there are protests, and refrain from joining the mass action for their own safety and well-being. – story by Raoul Esperas (Patrol 45)
