MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday said he ordered local government units (LGUs) to render assistance to returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from the Middle East with the rising tensions in the region.
“I am directing all local government units and the local chief executives to provide assistance to our returning OFWs they are displaced, untimely paguwi nila so dapat tulungan natin sila (their evacuation is untimely so we have to help them),” Año told reporters after the New Year’s Call at Camp Crame.
Año is part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s special committee on an emergency evacuation plan of Filipinos in the Middle East amid the escalating tensions between the United States and the Middle East.
The Interior Secretary said the government is willing to provide any kind of assistance for the repatriated Filipinos in Iraq.
“Lahat naman pwede maibigay na asssistance diyan (We can give any kind of assistance to Filipinos) as far as the national government is concerned but of course the President gave a word, even financial magbibigay siya (the President will give financial assistance),” he said.
Año also noted that they are still studying on assisting some Filipinos in Iraq to return to the Philippines or letting Filipinos stay in a safer area within the Middle East.
“Sa planning natin, titingnan kung diretso uwi kaagad dito or dun muna sa isang safe area within the Middle East kasi pwedeng bumalik sila sa trabaho kapag okay na yung situation (In our planning, we are still looking into helping Filipinos return to the country or allowing them to stay in a safer area within the Middle East because some of the Filipinos might return to their jobs once the tension subsides),” he said.
Duterte earlier ordered the nation’s military forces to prepare air and naval assets for the possible repatriation of Filipinos in the Middle East after the US government launched an airstrike that murdered Iran’s top general, Qasem Soleimani in Iraq.