A large cruise ship may be chartered by the government to ferry more Filipinos out of Iraq despite the apparent de-escalation of conflict between the United States and Iran, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said yesterday.
The option of tapping a large passenger ship to transport Filipinos out of harm’s way was discussed by President Duterte and the Cabinet during a recent meeting in Malacañang, according to Nograles.
The former lawmaker noted that a cruise ship could accommodate more Filipinos since it is bigger compared to an airplane.
“Part of discussions No. 1, kung mayroon naman tayong sariling natin government assets, gagamitin natin ‘yun,” Nograles said. “Pangalawa was to charter a cruise ship kasi ang cruise ship mas malaki ma-accomodate niya kaysa sa eroplano. Kung eroplano ‘yan, ilang chartered flights ‘yan. Siyempre titingnan mo cost, titingnan mo safety,” he added.
He said the cruise ship option for the repatriation of Filipinos may be used “if needed.”
The government has earlier ordered the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos from Iraq to ensure their safety and protection in light of the US-Iran hostilities. The pullout order from Iran and Lebanon, however, was reportedly withdrawn as US President Donald Trump backed away from a full-blown conflict with Iran.
According to Nograles, the government will continue with the evacuation of Filipinos out of Iraq and move them to a safe haven such as Qatar before repatriating them to the Philippines.
“The order is still mandatory repatriation of our OFWs from Iraq. The alert level however has been downgraded in Lebanon and Iran,” he said. “The primary objective right now is to take them out of Iraq, bring them to safe haven. Once there, obviously we want to bring them back to the Philippines.”
He said the government will offer assistance to Filipinos displaced by the Middle East conflict such as livelihood and skills training program. Alternative overseas and local employment will also be readied for the affected workers. (Genalyn Kabiling)
