THE PHILIPPINE government is prepared to evacuate Filipinos in the Middle East should tensions escalate in the region, authorities told Thursday’s briefing in Congress as contingency measures were discussed in case hostilities between Israel and Iran and other parties turn for the worse.
However, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Robert O. Ferrer, Jr. said details of the evacuation plans are kept confidential to avoid being sabotaged by terror groups who might take advantage of the situation.
“Contingency plans must not be publicized, we don’t want the (evacuation) details to fall into the wrong hands,” he said
“(We) briefed Filipino community leaders in the crisis plan. There, the Filipino community leaders had an understanding of the crisis plan,” seconded Department of Migrant Workers Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac in the same briefing.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it is ready to evacuate Filipinos overseas. However, their contingency plan should be reserved “for last resort” only if other means of evacuating Filipinos fail.
The Middle East is home to at least 2.2 million Filipinos, according to a 2020 DFA report. It also hosts around 70% of all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) abroad, Mr. Cacdac told BusinessWorld.
“With escalating hostilities, there’s a heightened risk of conflict spiraling over into neighboring countries where many overseas Filipino workers are deployed,” Party-list Rep. Ron P. Salo said. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
