Marcos: 2 Million OFWs Moved to Bomb Shelters and Safe Zones Across the Middle East — 'No One Is Left Behind'

President Marcos assured the nation on Sunday that Filipinos across the Middle East have been moved to safe locations, with many sheltering in bomb shelters, as the exchange of airstrikes between the US, Israel, and Iran intensifies. In a video message, Marcos said all Philippine embassies and labor attachés have been on heightened alert since Saturday afternoon.

'Our countrymen are in a safe place. They have gone to the bomb shelters where they are. They were moved away from the American bases so that they do not come close to danger,' Marcos said. He confirmed that as of 9 AM Sunday, no Filipino casualties had been reported — though a Filipina caregiver's death was later confirmed that evening.

The scale of the crisis is staggering. Based on DFA figures, there are 973,000 Filipinos in the UAE alone, 813,000 in Saudi Arabia, 250,000 in Qatar, 211,000 in Kuwait, 56,000 in Bahrain, 31,000 in Israel, and 800 in Iran itself. That's more than 2 million lives directly in the zone of conflict.

The Philippine Embassy in Iran has advised Filipinos to 'consider voluntary departure through any available commercial or safe means should the situation warrant.' The Embassy in Iraq urged Filipinos to 'prepare adequate food, water, medicine and other necessary supplies sufficient for their needs while sheltering in place.'

Marcos directed the DFA and DMW to take immediate steps, while Migrante-Middle East has called on the government to go beyond just advising OFWs to stay indoors. 'Philippine authorities must put in place repatriation plans throughout the region as the war shows no signs of de-escalation,' the migrant workers' group said.

Source: The Manila Times