Around 1,033 overseas Filipino workers are stranded at airports in the Philippines and abroad due to flight cancellations from the Middle East crisis. A Filipina caregiver was killed in an airstrike in Israel, President Marcos said. Officials urge Filipinos in the region to exercise caution amid escalating tensions.
Escalating tensions in the Middle East, triggered by US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Saturday, have led to flight cancellations and disruptions affecting Filipino workers. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration reported that 1,033 Middle East-bound Filipinos are stranded, including 768 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1 and 3, mostly from Visayas and Mindanao. Nearly 100 are stranded at Clark International Airport in Pampanga as of March 1, 132 in Hong Kong en route to Dubai and Riyadh, and 33 in Singapore.
Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac instructed authorities to assist all stranded Filipinos, including tourists. “As long as they’re Filipinos, we will help them. Let’s help each other — all hands of deck. We are under a one-country team,” he said. No Filipino casualties have been reported from airstrikes in Iran, where about 80 Filipinos reside, mostly married to Iranians.
President Marcos expressed regret over the death of Mary Anne Velazquez de Vera, a 32-year-old caregiver from Basista, Pangasinan, who died from shrapnel wounds while helping her ward reach a bomb shelter. “I regret to inform you that we have received a report that a Filipino casualty has been recorded in the conflict happening in the Middle East,” he said in a video statement. The government pledged assistance to her family and continues monitoring Filipinos in the region, including 4,000 to 6,000 at US bases in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
In Doha, Qatar, Filipino worker Germaine Rentoria described six to seven hours of explosions in the sky as air defenses intercepted Iranian missiles in retaliation. “Explosions have been ongoing for six to seven hours, but all were intercepted by the Doha military,” she said. No Filipino casualties were reported there, and residents prepared evacuation bags. Philippine embassies in Israel (30,000 workers, mostly caregivers), Iran (800), and other countries advised staying indoors and limiting movements.
Vice President Sara Duterte urged avoiding areas of military operations and large gatherings, while Senator Bong Go called for vigilance: “I am appealing to all OFWs: Remain observant and always coordinate with our embassies and consulates... Your safety is our priority.” Since Saturday, 23 flights to the Middle East have been canceled and three diverted. Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula directed prayers for peace in daily masses.