While he sees no need yet for mandatory repatriation for Filipinos caught in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government has already identified a route for those voluntarily seeking to be evacuated.
Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Wednesday, the sixth day of strikes in their most intense confrontation in history, fueling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his nation would “never surrender” after US President Donald Trump stepped up his rhetoric, demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and warning America knows where Khamenei is located but will not kill him “for now.”
Foreigners have rushed to leave Israel and Iran amid fears that their conflict would escalate.
President Marcos said for the first batch of Filipino voluntary repatriates, Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac was already on his way to Jordan to coordinate both the evacuees from Israel and Iran.
“The problem we had in evacuating them was that because of the war, many airports were closed. So, we were looking for a route where we can get them out (and) we have been able to do that,” he added.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is planning to raise the alert levels in Iran and Israel as escalating conflict between the two nations entered its sixth day.
Once a decision is out, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega said the agency may “temporarily” raise the alert level in Israel from 2 (restriction phase) to 3 (voluntary repatriation phase).
The alert level for Iran, currently under alert level 1 (precautionary phase), will also be likely raised to “voluntary repatriation phase.”
“We cannot raise it to mandatory because most of the Filipinos there won’t go home anyway. They have Iranian families there,” De Vega said.
He also disclosed plans to pull out non-essential personnel at the Philippine Embassy in Tehran.
De Vega said there are less than 20 personnel and officials manning the Philippine Embassy in Iran, including Ambassador Roberto Manalo, who is expected to stay behind.
Some 14 Filipinos requesting repatriation will join the embassy staff should the evacuation plan push through, possibly via land crossing to neighboring Turkmenistan, which has an estimated travel time of 13 hours.
Some 150 Filipinos in Israel, on the other hand, have previously signified their intention to leave the Jewish state as soon as possible.
At least 21 Filipino national and local government officials – including nine mayors, four vice mayors, and two party-list representatives – who are part of an Israeli government-sponsored study visit are also stuck in Israel as airspace remains closed.
The Israeli international aid agency MASHAV earlier said they will cross Jordan and take their flight back to the Philippines from there.
Other countries have started repatriating their citizens since Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign last Friday, targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities and sparking retaliation from Tehran.
Greece has repatriated 105 of its citizens and foreign nationals from Israel, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.
“The people repatriated were transported to Athens from Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt, onboard C-130 and C-27 Greek air force planes,” it said in a statement.
Along with Greek citizens and their families, other people on the flight included citizens of Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States, it said.
Poland on Wednesday also evacuated around 160 people from Israel.
“The first group of Poles has just landed in Warsaw…. They arrived in Poland via Egypt. Another flight tomorrow (Thursday),” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X.
On Tuesday, at least four countries –United States, China, India, and Thailand – have ordered the evacuation of its citizens from Israel and Iran. With AFP