MANILA, Philippines – Over 1,000 Filipinos working in the Middle East will have to wait until the situation allows flights and land travel to repatriate them to the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday, March 3.

In a hastily arranged press briefing at Malacañang Palace, Marcos said reports from the ground and conversations with parties to the conflict indicate that it would be too dangerous to send in an airplane to fly Filipinos out of the Gulf or to drive them to safer countries.

“The situation is very fluid. Our assessment is that it’s too dangerous to fly, even if we could. There’s nothing we can do because airports are closed. This [airspace] is a combat area,” said the President in a mix of English and Filipino during a briefing. Marcos was flanked by top Cabinet members including the foreign affairs secretary, defense secretary, and finance chief.

Marcos cited a recent incident where three US fighter jets were shot down by accident over Kuwait. Although the plane’s crew members ejected themselves into safety, the incident, said Marcos, highlighted the chance of “mistakes” being made in an active conflict zone.

Land exits are also out of the question for now, given the ongoing strikes. “That is also dangerous but that will be the best option that we will have in the immediate future,” he added.

For now, said Marcos, Filipinos in countries affected by the ongoing conflict should “shelter in place and follow the host government’s advice.”

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, which Washington framed as an “overwhelming military campaign to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, destroy its ballistic missile arsenal, degrade its proxy terror networks, and cripple its naval forces.” In retaliation, Iran and later, Hezbollah launched strikes against Israel and other Gulf States that host American bases.

There are over a million Filipinos living in the Middle East, majority as overseas workers. The millions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) across the world is a major source of income for the Philippines. At least one Filipino was confirmed to have died in the ongoing conflict.

“We will find ways to get you out safety… Right now, it’s safety first for our people,” Marcos said.

He added that government assets were being put in place to begin bringing Filipinos out of the various Gulf states, should a safe “window” open.

The Philippines has set up hotlines for Filipinos across the Middle East, and quick response teams from different embassies and posts are working around the clock, the President said.

In the same briefing, Marcos said the Philippines has a 50- to 60-day supply of oil in place.

The government is also setting out contingencies in case the conflict in the Middle East stretches longer than anticipated. These includes asking Congress for legislation that would allow Marcos to reduce the excise tax on petroleum products should global prices rise because of the war in the Middle East and Dubai crude goes beyond US$80 per barrel.

“Targeted fuel subsidies” are also being eyed, to include the transport and agriculture sector. – Rappler.com