Metro Manila, Philippines — There are no Filipino casualties in the Middle East amid the exchange of missile attacks in the region, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Sunday, March 1, citing the latest reports that they are safe there.
“As of 9 o’clock Sunday, wala po tayong natatanggap na report na may casualty na Pilipino. Wala pong Pilipino ang namatay, wala na Pilipino ang nasaktan,” Marcos said in a video message.
[Translation: As of 9 o’clock Sunday, we have not received reports of casualties that are Filipinos. No Filipino died or got hurt.]
Marcos assured that the government is monitoring the situation to make sure that Filipinos in the Middle East are safe and in a good situation.
“Sa aming latest report ay ang ating mga kababayan ay nasa safe na lugar. Sila ay nakapunta sa mga bomb shelter kung saan sila, at lumalayo sila doon sa mga bases ng Amerikano upang hindi naman sila mapalapit sa alanganin,” the president said.
[Translation: In our latest report, Filipinos are in a safe place. They have reached bomb shelters in their area, and they are going away from American bases to avoid precarious situations.]
On Saturday, Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched the most ambitious attack on Iranian targets in decades. Iran retaliated with missiles targeted at Israel and American bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman, among others.
In June last year, Israel and Iran were in a 12-day air war after Tel Aviv launched a surprise attack on Tehran’s military and nuclear facilities.
“Ito’y kailangan natin tuloy-tuloy na bantayan at hindi ito tapos pa. Palagay ko patuloy pa itong giyerang ito,” Marcos said.
[Translation: We need to continuously monitor the situation as this is still not over. I think this conflict will continue.]
More than 2.4 million Filipinos are in the Middle East, including an estimated 975,000 in the UAE, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The Philippines, a major ally of the US in Asia, has expressed concern about “the escalation of the situation in the Middle East region and calls on all parties to resort immediately to dialogue and negotiations to bring peace and stability to the region,” the DFA said Saturday.
The DFA and the Department of Migrant Workers were directed Saturday to immediately take steps and implement contingency plans to ensure the safety of Filipinos in the Middle East.
Embassies have been on full alert and have advised Filipinos to stay in their homes or safe places and refrain from going out to public areas.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, state media confirmed Sunday.
Iran has called the strikes unprovoked and illegal and responded with missiles fired at Israel and at least seven other countries, including Gulf states that host US bases.
US President Donald Trump, making the biggest foreign-policy gamble of his presidency after campaigning for reelection as a “peace president,” said the strikes were aimed at ending a decades-long threat from Iran and ensuring it could not develop a nuclear weapon. — with reports from Reuters
