President Duterte has tasked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to prepare its air and naval assets for the possible evacuation of thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Iran and Iraq.
This was bared during the emergency security cluster meeting called by Duterte himself late Sunday afternoon in Malacananang.
Among the attendees during the emergency meeting were Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Lieutenant General Felimon Santos Jr., newly designated AFP chief of staff, and the commanders of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force, as well as Police Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa, officer in charge of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
This as the tension between the United States and Iran rises following the killing of the latter’s top general, Qassem Soleimani, upon the orders of US President Donald Trump.
Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the agenda of the meeting was to ensure the safety of the Filipinos in the Middle East especially those in Iraq and Iran.
“The President has tasked the AFP to prepare its air and naval assets to evacuate and bring home our countrymen if and when open hostilities erupt in the Middle East that may endanger their lives,” Andolong said.
According to Andolong, there are 1,600 and 6,000 Filipinos in Iran and Iraq, respectively.
Talks of war between the US and Iran surfaced following the killing of Soleimani, Tehran top general, in a drone airstrike at the Baghdad International Airport in Iraq last Friday.
The Pentagon confirmed the attack was ordered by Trump to neutralize Soleimani, who commanded the Quds Force, a division that is responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations of Iran, and said to be the brains behind the death of thousands of Americans in the Middle East.
Iran President Hassan Rouhani said that they will take revenge for Soleimani’s death.
Iran recently hoisted a symbolic red flag which reportedly signaled its declaration of an impending war. (Martin A. Sadongdong)
