Palace: Defense chief to lead panel to evacuate Filipinos in Middle East

MANILA, Philippines—Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will lead the special committee that will oversee the evacuation and possible repatriation of Filipino workers from the Middle East amid rising tension between Iran and the United States, Malacañang said Thursday.

President Duterte earlier formed the body to ensure the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Gulf Region after the US launched an airstrike that killed Iran’s top general, Qasem Soleimani, in Iraq.

“In compliance with the aforementioned instruction of the President, the Executive Secretary has directed the Secretary of National Defense to take the lead, as Chairperson, in ensuring the safety of the Filipinos and their return to the Philippines, if needed,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement Thursday.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. will be the Vice-Chairperson of the committee while Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Special Envoy to the Middle East and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade will serve as members.

“The welfare of Filipinos, including their safety and security, remains the primordial concern of the Chief Executive,” Panelo said.

The Palace official assured the public that the government is “doing its best” to ensure the safety of Filipinos in the Middle East.

Duterte has ordered the military to prepare its air and naval assets for the possible repatriation of OFWs in the Middle East once the situation there escalates into open hostilities. He also asked Congress and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to source out funds to be used for the evacuation of Filipinos.