Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed on Tuesday that many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have requested to be evacuated due to the war in the Middle East.
In a president’s press briefing today, he said that more than 1,400 Filipinos in countries in the Middle East have requested repatriation.
586 OFWs from Dubai wants to be evacuated, 297 from Israel, 270 from Abu Dhabi, 231 from Bahrain, 22 from Jordan and 10 from Iran.
The President encouraged Filipinos in the Middle East to follow local advisories and stay in safe places, while the government is still arranging the repatriation efforts.
The chief executive also called for an immediate end of the hostilities in the Middle East, although the Philippines is not directly affected, but the president hopes that the war will end ‘as quickly as possible’
Reports said that the conflict in the Gulf nation could last to another 4 to 5 weeks.
In the crisis alert level released by the Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday, no country in the Middle East and Africa has a raised alert level due to the conflict.
There was no change in the alert levels in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen, despite the exchange of air strikes from Tehran, Israel and US military bases in the Middle East.
According to the DFA, government posts in the affected areas remain vigilant, but the Department of Migrant Workers earlier confirmed on Monday that the government is prepared to evacuate Filipinos in the Middle East.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reported that about 72 international flights from Manila to Riyadh, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and the Middle East – vice versa – have been canceled due to the ongoing threat of air strikes.—Alvin Pelobello, Eurotv News