Kalinga OFWs in Israel share experience: ‘I looked up and saw bombs exploding in the sky’

Tel Aviv, Israel - It was 2.30 in the afternoon on May 13 when Laurel Abbacan, an yKalinga OFW working in Tel Aviv, was riding his bike crossing a bridge when he heard a bomb warning siren, which for a moment rendered him immobile.

When he looked up, Laurel saw rocket fires and bombs flying in the air exploding like thunderclaps flashing like lightning with blaze of fires.

“Sakto nag-alarm, addaak ti rangtay. Simmardeng nak ket nagbuya-ak nu kasanu sumabog ti rocket idiay ngato. Medyo adayo ngem makikita talaga nga ag explode diay bomba,” relates Laurel.

His companions dropped and hid but to his surprise, cars continued to run and go about like it was just a normal day – a situation where one will feel both extremely nervous.

“Mostly rabii ti attack ket anusan a ti agpuyat ta kailangan ready ka latta nga mapan idiay bomb shelter,” he further said.

The iron dome defense system

Laurel said he is worried but he trusts that everything will be fine, believing in Israel’s Iron Dome defense system and its Israeli Defense Force (IDF) to keep people safe, and that every building there has a bomb shelter for them to run to for safety.

“It is scary. Ngem agtiwala kami idiay Iron Dome ken iti kinalaing ti IDF. The IDF always reminds us to go to the safest place when the siren takes off all over the country. We are given around 10 seconds to a minute to do that,” he said.

He related that while there are other overseas workers there, especially those who stayed longer than them, who had prior experience of conflicts, he admitted that there are still those who become very nervous. Even then, he said, they should fight their fears and continue to be alert to survive and continue doing their job, especially they have patients to take care of. He said he’d rely on the decision of the embassy if worse comes to worst.

Rubilyn Pallogan’s experience

Another OFW, Rubilyn Pallogan, who is working in Ashkelon, a place 30 minutes away from Gaza, said she did not expect that tension between Palestine and Israel would turn out that violent.

“With my 3 years and 9 months working here in Israel, andami ko nang naranasan na conflicts between Israel and Gaza. So, parang nasanay na yung feeling na relax lang minsan. I thought sanay na ako sa pagtunog ng sirens and rockets explosions but no, this on-going conflict is the worst experience I ever had,” she said.

Rubilyn said that when a bomb warning comes off, everyone is expected to perform the drill automatically as they have limited time to run for cover. Rubilyn said when she heard the siren for the first time, she ran to her employer’s room – the safest place she knew, while her neighbors from the 4th and 5th floor of the building where she works hid themselves under the stairs.

The frightening part, according to Rubilyn, was the barrage of rockets heard flying and exploding just above her. The circumstance, Rubilyn said, seemed to be never-ending as bombs went.

On the fourth night, she encountered successive sirens alarming of incoming rockets.

“Friday, around 2am iba na kasi super lakas at madami na ang mga sumasabog na rockets at sunod-sunod na siren so we have to run sa safe area within 30 seconds as much as possible,” she related.

She said she thought she was going to die and all she could think of was the family she left in the Philippines.

Strength that comes with faith

These OFWs have to carry on with their daily lives clinging on with their faith to keep their strength in facing the situation in Israel as coming home may not be an option yet. They are aware that their situation can be helpless as they may not be able to fight physically but are hopeful, they will face the situation courageously through prayers.

“Let's ask people to intercede and pray for us and the neighborhood… because prayer is the best weapon to fight this situation we are in. If you feel fear, remember that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” Rubilyn said.

Laurel, likewise advised his fellow OFWs to remain calm and always be alert. Being the president of the Kalinga OFW Organization, he also has the responsibility to check on his fellow Kalinga OFWs, because working in a foreign land, OFWs have no one but each other especially living and working in a conflict zone.

There are approximately 31,000 Filipinos working in Israel, of whom 150 to 200 are yKalingas.

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