00:00 Welcome to The Source, where we combine the headlines with in-depth conversations with
00:06 the newsmakers themselves.
00:08 I'm Pinky Webb.
00:09 Today on the program, a month after the war broke out between Israel and Hamas militants,
00:14 40 more Filipinos and other foreign nationals in war-torn Gaza evacuate to safer ground.
00:22 Filipinos in Israel continue to arrive home in batches.
00:25 Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega joins us in the program.
00:30 And later, a shakeup in key positions in the House of Representatives as hundreds of lawmakers
00:35 rally behind Speaker Martin Romualdez.
00:39 Surigao del Sur's Second District Representative Johnny Pimentel tells us more later in the
00:44 show.
00:50 And we begin with breaking news here on CNN Philippines.
01:04 Forty Filipinos and hundreds more foreign nationals were evacuated from war-torn Gaza
01:09 to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing.
01:12 President Bongbong Marcos says the Filipinos will be repatriated from Cairo, Egypt in the
01:17 coming days.
01:18 He also thanks the embassies of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt for making the safe passage possible.
01:24 Let's go straight to the source of the story.
01:26 We have Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega.
01:29 Iusec de Vega, welcome to the source, sir.
01:32 Good news.
01:33 Let's talk about that.
01:34 Forty of our Filipinos who have been stuck in that Rafah crossing border have now crossed
01:40 into Egypt.
01:41 Good morning.
01:42 Good morning.
01:48 I noticed you were showing pictures of me earlier and they were with a scowl.
01:51 Your photo pics of me are with a scowl and now I'm smiling.
01:55 Maybe next time you'll show me with a smile.
01:57 We'll do that, sir.
01:58 I'd like to confirm that 40 crossed into the Egypt border.
02:04 It took several hours at the crossing to get them through.
02:09 And now they're with the embassy.
02:12 They are on their way to Cairo.
02:14 They should be there any minute now.
02:17 When they get to Cairo, Iusec, what happens from there on?
02:22 Well, they'll be given accommodations, ayuda, assistance, of course, and they will be flown
02:29 within the next few days.
02:30 They might be here in Manila as early as Friday.
02:33 As early as Friday.
02:34 Iusec, are we expecting all 40 of them to arrive on Friday or will this also again be
02:42 in batches?
02:43 No, no.
02:44 The idea was to, we had a block voting for, a block, sorry, a block reservation of tickets.
02:52 I see.
02:53 So all 40 will be able to make it back home.
02:55 Hopefully by Friday, Iusec, just tell us any information on how they're doing, their condition
03:01 and who among the 40, if you can tell us, were able to make it to Egypt.
03:09 Well, the 40 are in a bus, all in one bus, along with their ambassador.
03:16 And they are on their way to Cairo right now.
03:19 They were picked up last night at the border.
03:23 Actually, the Israelis and Egyptians, and that's why our president was thanking them,
03:30 gave approvals for 46, but only 40 crossed.
03:36 Six, for some reason or other, decided to still stay in Gaza and maybe join other batches.
03:43 So 40 crossed.
03:45 It took several hours at the Egypt side for them to be processed.
03:49 And then roughly around 10 p.m. last night or 10.30 p.m. last night, local time, they
03:56 were picked up by our embassy because they were finally released and are now being brought
04:02 to Cairo.
04:03 It's only about 3 a.m. in Cairo right now.
04:08 And it will take six or seven hours, right?
04:10 So they're there.
04:11 Probably in an hour.
04:12 There are two pregnant women, sorry, two, yes, two pregnant women and three, three infants
04:23 with the group.
04:24 So they'll need special care.
04:25 But they are very happy that their trauma is over.
04:30 I can imagine.
04:31 Yeah.
04:32 Yusef, did any of the 40 actually include any of their Palestinian family members?
04:39 Yes, there was one.
04:42 No, the 41st was a Palestinian citizen who managed to join her Filipino-Palestinian mestizo
04:51 husband through the efforts of the Red Crescent, the Islamic Red Cross.
04:57 Nandun, nagbakasakale na paluso, and she's allowed in.
05:03 And she's joining her husband to the Philippines.
05:08 And if you will notice from the pictures, a lot of the 40 are actually half-Palestinian.
05:14 They are children of the original Filipino mother and they have Filipino citizenship.
05:19 So there are Palestinian, you can say, Palestinian family members.
05:23 There is also the big possibility that the Palestinian spouses of Filipinos still left,
05:30 Filipinas still left at the border, will also be allowed.
05:34 Maybe not all of them because they're undergoing security check.
05:38 But there has been easing up of the restrictions and we expect Palestinian spouses to eventually
05:44 also join the next batches.
05:45 So the agreement already has been, they have been given the go signal, would that be correct
05:53 sir to say that they've been given the go signal to bring their Palestinian husbands
06:00 with them to Manila?
06:02 Yes, there's a verbal statement, we're just waiting for the written approval.
06:09 It is possible though that not all the spouses will make it because they are undergoing a
06:15 security checks.
06:18 After all, Israel has said that they do not want Hamas members or sympathizers to be leaving
06:28 Gaza.
06:29 So we hope that spouses will be there.
06:31 So that will be the only reason why some might not be allowed out.
06:35 We'll find out within the week certainly.
06:38 Were there any conditions set by Israel and even Egypt upon the crossing of these 40?
06:47 I think now you're saying it's 41, including a spouse.
06:51 41 is, the 21st is not a Filipino citizen, it's a Palestinian spouse.
06:55 So that's a limit to 40 nationals.
06:58 But 41 will be coming here.
06:59 All right, the only conditions Egypt said, do not make them stay in Egypt.
07:05 They will go home.
07:06 And anyway, we thank Egypt for that.
07:09 Israel, of course, let's put it this way, our friendship with Israel and support for
07:18 Israel has paid off.
07:22 That's why even the president was thanking Israel for this permission to finally have
07:30 a combined crossing.
07:31 In fact, you said the president was thanking the DFA for this as well.
07:39 Well, our embassies in Tel Aviv under Ambassador Pedro Lailo, Amman under Ambassador Wilfredo
07:49 Santos and Sunni Cairo under Ambassador Ezequiel Tago have been in the forefront.
07:54 And I think everybody knows I've been there, King Elizabeth and Secretary Manalo as well.
08:01 So with this, when can we expect the next batch to cross and how many are they?
08:08 Because if you said there was an opening of 46, but only 40 went, what happened to the
08:14 six?
08:15 Was it is it because they were hesitant because maybe their spouses were not allowed to cross
08:21 with them?
08:22 What happened to them?
08:23 From what we know, it's a family.
08:28 In one case, it's a small child with a Filipino Palestinian father.
08:34 They have to stay in Gaza because the child is sick.
08:38 So they're in the hospital, so they'll stay.
08:42 In the other case, it's kind of confusing.
08:46 They would like to cross, but they don't want to leave Egypt.
08:49 They want to stay in Egypt because their Palestinian husband is in Egypt.
08:53 So we're still fixing this.
08:55 It's not that they don't want to cross.
08:57 Eventually they will cross.
08:58 OK, hopefully the little will recover.
09:01 So yes, that's my question.
09:04 Sorry.
09:05 Just to follow up on that, because it opened last night, their time, local time.
09:12 Morning, morning, not last night, morning.
09:16 The border.
09:17 No, you said they crossed at 10 p.m. local time.
09:21 They crossed around the afternoon, but it took several hours to process them at the
09:27 border control.
09:28 So they were let out, let out at 10 p.m.
09:31 All right.
09:32 I mean, how do you say?
09:33 So, Yusek, I guess my question is, how important and what kind of appeal do you have possibly
09:38 to the Filipinos still there?
09:40 Because we understand there's about over, you know, 134, 135 Filipinos still in Gaza.
09:47 Any appeal because now that the border is open, should they take advantage?
09:54 Maybe don't think twice.
09:56 I guess maybe that's my question, sir.
09:59 For them?
10:00 No.
10:01 That's right.
10:02 So let's say there were 135, subtracted by 40, and then you add their spouses.
10:10 There's slightly over 100 Filipinos plus Palestinian spouses.
10:15 They are not free to just cross at any time.
10:19 There will be a schedule for that.
10:21 And precisely because of our good relations with both countries, we expect it very soon.
10:27 It could be within the next 24 hours that they will allow the next batch.
10:30 And it could be another batch of 50 or even maybe over 100 Filipinos plus Palestinian
10:36 spouses go, go now.
10:39 So what we are calling for is, mga mga bayan, it's already mandatory evacuation.
10:45 Our embassy in Amman is calling all of you.
10:48 Go to the border and wait because any time now you will be allowed to cross.
10:55 And if you stay in Gaza out of your own free will, there's no guarantee, first of your
11:00 safety and number two, that you'll be given priority in future days crossings.
11:05 So habang ngayon, itungin go.
11:09 It could be within the next 24 to 48 hours.
11:11 You'll be told, go.
11:13 Filipinos, because they announce them by nationalities.
11:17 That's how the border crossing goes.
11:18 They say, "Filipinos!"
11:19 So please cross as soon as possible.
11:25 Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, sir.
11:28 Thank you so much for your time.
11:31 I like your smile.
11:32 That means we're working well.
11:33 Thank you.
11:34 Thank you, sir.
11:35 Well, that was a stunning shakeup in the House of Representatives.
11:38 As Pampanga Representative and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Davao City Representative
11:42 Isidro Ungap get ousted as deputy speakers, Surigao del Sur Second District Representative
11:48 Johnny Pimentel tells us more after the break.
11:51 Please stay tuned.
11:51 [music]
11:54 (explosion)
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