Philippines Prepares OFW Evacuation Amid Rising Tension Between US & Iran
PHILIPPINES PREPARES OFW EVACUATION – The tension between the United States and Iran had escalated to new heights after Iran launched an attack on two Iraqi bases housing US troops.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned the United States and its regional allies via a statement carried by Iran’s state-run News Agency, IRNA. They said that the bombings were “revenge” for the death of Soleimani.
Based on a report from the Dailymail, another television channel of the Guard also threatened to bomb Dubai and Haifa in Israel. So what would happen to the OFWs in Dubai?
Based on a report from Philstar, President Duterte met with top police and military officials to discuss steps to take regarding evacuation of OFWs in case things escalated severely.
Duterte called an emergency meeting at Malacañang with Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, AFP chief Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. and PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa. Together, they discussed contingency plans.
The President has tasked the AFP to prepare its air and naval assets to evacuate and bring home our countrymen if and when open hostilities erupt in the Middle East that may endanger their lives
Defence Spokesman Aresenio Andolong
As per the report, there are more than 3,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Iraq. According to recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani.
Based on a statement from former lawmaker Aniceto Bertiz III, the lives of an estimated 1.2 million documented OFWs in the Middle East are now in grave danger.
Any eruption of open hostilities in the Middle East involving the US is bound to drag its major military allies such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both of which host large numbers of Filipino workers,
In an extreme scenario, even Filipinos in some parts of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar might be exposed to danger, considering that they also host American military facilities and/or personnel
Aniceto Bertiz III
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