PH repatriation committee closely monitoring US-Iran situation

“The Committee will be constantly monitoring the situation between the United States and Iran, and further updates will be provided as soon as they become available,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement. (Shutterstock photo)

MANILA — The Inter-Agency Committee, tasked to oversee the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East, will constantly monitor the situation between the United States and Iran.

This, as the body, chaired by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, held its first meeting Thursday.

“The Committee will be constantly monitoring the situation between the United States and Iran, and further updates will be provided as soon as they become available,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.

The meeting was convened by Lorenzana to fine-tune and coordinate the repatriation plan for the Filipinos in the Middle East, in light of the tensions in Iraq and Iran.

The committee is composed of the National Security Adviser as the Vice-Chair, and the Secretaries of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Transportation (DOTr), as members.

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, and DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, together with the representatives from other member agencies, were present in the committee meeting.

“The prime consideration of the plan is the safety and welfare of Filipinos in Iran, Iraq, and other neighboring countries, who may be affected by the current situation in the Middle East,” Andolong added.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has already been directed to stand ready to deploy assets and personnel to help Filipinos in the affected countries return home.

The government is also seriously considering the use of commercial aircraft and sea vessels due to the potentially large number of evacuees from the Middle East.