The government has earmarked an initial P1.8 billion in standby fund for the repatriation of Filipinos amid the escalating conflict between Washington and Tehran in the Middle East, an official from the Department of Budget and Management said yesterday.
If more funds are needed, Budget Assistant Secretary Rolando Toledo said the government may get money from the P13-billion contingent fund in the 2020 national budget but will be subject to President Duterte’s approval. The P4.1-trillion national budget for this year was signed into law by the President last Monday.
“Should the situation in the region erupt into conflict, the President instructed to immediately evacuate all Filipinos. Given that, as a matter of fact, we have provided in the budget already. Even without that, we have such ready funds for the repatriation of our Filipino overseas workers,” he said.
“We have P1.29 billion in the Department of Foreign Affairs budget. We also have an allocation of P100 million in the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration budget. And we have also some funds that we can tap under the OWWA fund. I understand there was free fund around P500 million. So, even without the pronouncement of the President, we already have the budget for the repatriation,” Toledo added.
Toledo assured that the government has enough funds to evacuate Filipinos from conflict zones. “The government is ready if there is a need, a call for the repatriation of our overseas Filipino workers,” he said.
He said the P13-billion contingent fund in the 2020 national budget may also be tapped to augment the reparation fund for the OFWs. “If this is will not be enough, I understand we have also standby fund that is, well, we can tap. That is subject to the approval of the President, which is the contingent fund.”
Toledo said the President mentioned the need to prepare for the evacuation of Filipinos during the budget signing last Monday. “In line of ongoing rising tension between the US and Iran, the President called for preparation of standby funds for the possible repatriation of the overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East,” he said.
Based on Philippine Statistics Authority data, Toledo said there are 1.26 million Filipinos working in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.
The government had earlier raised the alert level in Iraq which calls for mandatory evacuation of Filipinos following Iran’s missile strikes on bases hosting US troops. The attacks were in retaliation for the US killing of a top Iranian general in Baghdad last week. (Genalyn Kabiling)