Philippines ready for deportation of Filipino children by Israel

The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be working closely with various local government departments to prepare for the possible deportation of children of Filipino migrant workers by Israel.

It is still unknown how many Filipino children will be deported but the DFA on Friday said they are among the 1,200 minors that will be affected by an Israeli law which states that once migrant workers give birth to children in Israel, they must leave with their child or send the baby back home and continue their employment.

"There is no indication as to how many are Filipino kids. We take it that (the deportation) pertains to all nationalities," Foreign Affairs spokesman Eduardo Malaya said in a statement.

The DFA is ready to repatriate them and is already coordinating with the Departments of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to prepare for the possible deportation of these children, he said.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has also given its assurance that the imminent deportation of children of Filipino migrant workers " will be handled in the most humane way," the DFA said, quoting the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Philippine Ambassador Petronila Garcia said there are still no news of the deportation since the Ministerial Committee has yet to make its final decision.

The 1,200 children were initially planned to be deported in August 2009 but the plan was put on hold following protests of Israeli activists and to give the committee time to study the issue.

Source: Xinhua