Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. announced on Friday that he would travel to the Ukrainian border to ensure the safety of Filipinos trying to leave Russian military attacks. On Thursday, Russia made a full invasion of Ukraine, claiming dozens of lives and injuring hundreds more.

Locsin said in a tweet that he would accompany Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Jaime Victor Ledda and his protocol officer “to personally see to the safety of my people at Ukrainian border.”

An estimated 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes, according to the UN refugee agency. Thousands of people were migrating into neighboring Romania, Moldova, Poland, and Hungary. Poland suspended quarantine regulations for anyone arriving from outside the EU without a lab-certified negative COVID-19 test on Thursday to make border crossings easier. The DFA previously stated that it had counted 181 Filipinos in Ukraine, the majority of them were in Kyiv. The Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kyiv, the Embassy Team in Lviv, the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs are coordinating repatriation efforts.

“Deeply grateful to Poland. We’ll never forget this,” Locsin continued.

 “chief and singular concern is to take out of harm’s way our fellow Filipinos in Ukraine and bring them to the nearest places of safety by the fastest possible way.” Locsin said earlier.

The Department of Foreign Affairs stated, “Our Posts in Warsaw, Budapest, and Moscow, as well as the rest of our European Posts, are on standby for any eventuality,”