Safe Naman Sila: Filipino Workers Inside Iran-Hit US Bases Were Evacuated Before Strikes, Says DMW

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac confirmed on Monday, March 3 that there are indeed Filipino workers employed inside the American military bases in the Gulf region that Iran attacked over the weekend — but assured the public that all of them were safely evacuated before the missiles hit.

Iran launched retaliatory missiles and drones at US military installations in Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait on February 28, following the US-Israeli joint strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran. The Philippine Embassy in Bahrain specifically warned Filipinos to avoid the Juffair area near the US naval facility.

Cacdac explained that standard military protocol requires civilians to be pulled out before any engagement. 'Hindi issue at this stage sa kanila yung paghinto sa trabaho dahil they are properly compensated,' he said, noting that the workers' employment arrangements cover them during such disruptions. The DMW did not disclose how many Filipinos work at US installations in the region.

The four Gulf countries host a combined 1.5 million Filipinos — 973,000 in the UAE alone, 250,000 in Qatar, 211,000 in Kuwait, and 56,000 in Bahrain. The attacks have also reignited the debate back home about the Philippines' own defense ties with Washington under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Senator Erwin Tulfo called for a review of EDCA, warning that US facilities in the Philippines could become targets if the conflict widens. But the National Security Council pushed back, emphasizing that EDCA sites are Philippine military bases under full Filipino control, and that there is no verified direct threat to Philippine territory.

Source: Philstar.com