The civil unrest and rioting in Haiti continues despite the price roll back ordered by Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant. Protesters blocked streets in Port-au-Prince , staged gun firing and burning vehicles that were crossing the protest lines leaving citizens in distress.
The unrest began when the government has announced that the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene would rise. The prime minister rolled back the prices but the public continued rioting.
Filipinos in Haiti are traumatized because some of them live near the business center in Port Au Prince where public rampage continues.
Ivy Joy Cruz, a warehouse manager in Port Au Prince, said most of the protesters are young people who used trees and large rocks to block the roads as piles of old tires were set on fire to create clouds of black smoke.
Many Haitians are now demanding the immediate departure of President Jovenel Moise. One Haitian protester who was masked said that if the president of stays for one more day, they will make the matters worst by cutting off roads and burn everything according to a report.
Because of this, the Filipinos who are in danger were repatriated to the Philippines. Seventeen OFWs with their children arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Friday, July 13 to avoid impending danger.
Journal Online wrote that it was learned that some were killed and vehicles were burned while some gangs looted the groceries nearby as oppositions allegedly blocked the main streets of the capital and other cities. The civil unrest is expected to continue the upcoming days.
“We decided to repatriate mostly kids back to Manila while the rest especially men stayed to monitor the situation. If the situation gets worst in the coming weeks, we will leave and repatriate the remaining OFWs in Haiti,” Cruz said.
The public unrest started from a socio-economic crisis, the devaluation of the local currency against the US dollar and price hikes. – LMI
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