The government will push through with the evacuation of Filipinos from Iraq until the tension in the region deescalates and their safety is no longer in peril, Malacañang said yesterday.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo recognized that any deescalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran would be “good news for all us,” citing the safety of Filipinos is the government’s paramount concern.
“If the conflict has deescalated instead of escalating, then that’s good news for everyone especially for our overseas workers. But nevertheless, the move to evacuate and repatriate is still going on,” he said.
He said Filipinos would be moved to safe places “unless the de-escalation reaches a point where the safety of our countrymen is no longer in peril.”
Panelo made the remarks after United States President Donald Trump apparently pulled back from an all-out conflict with Iran.
Trump recently declared that Iran “appears to be standing down” following its missile attack at bases housing US troops in Iraq. The attack against US forces was in retaliation to the US airstrike that killed a top Iranian military general.
The US leader also disclosed plans to impose additional economic sanctions on Iran until it supposedly changes its behavior. He said Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions and end its support for terrorism.
Meanwhile, Duterte is “doing his best” to ensure the safety and protection of Filipinos in the Middle East, Malacañang also said yesterday.
Panelo asserted that the President wants Filipinos safe and spared from the region’s hostilities after designating Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana as head of a new government committee overseeing the repatriation of citizens from the conflict areas.
“The welfare of Filipinos, including their safety and security, remains the primordial concern of the Chief Executive,” Panelo said.
“The public is accordingly informed of the actions being undertaken by our State agents on the matter for their assurance and trust that the Philippine government, with the President as its head of state, is doing its best to have our fellow citizens in the Middle East safely ensconced and further spared from the tension and apprehension arising from the present conflict in the Middle East,” he added. (Genalyn Kabiling)