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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
June 18, 2025 | 10:57am
People take shelter for the night at an underground light rail station in the city of Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, on June 17, 2025 amidst fears of an Iranian missile attack.
AFP / Menahem Kahana
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday the government will not impose a mandatory evacuation of Filipinos affected by the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
“Not yet,” Marcos said in an ambush interview in Quezon City when asked if the alert level in affected areas would be raised. “We generally leave it to each individual, to each family to decide for themselves whether or not they feel safe or whether or not they would like to be evacuated.”
Israel struck targets in Iran on June 12, prompting retaliatory action and heightening tensions in the region.
Marcos said authorities have reached out to Filipinos in the affected areas to determine if they needed repatriation. The closure of several airports, however, has complicated evacuation efforts.
“Naghahanap tayo ng ruta kung saan sila mailabas,” he said.
(We’re looking for other routes where they could be evacuated.)
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac is currently en route to Jordan to help facilitate the evacuations, Marcos added.
So far, the Department of Migrant Workers has repatriated two batches of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families. The first group included 18 workers, while the second consisted of 20 Filipina mothers and 23 children.
As of June 17, at least eight OFWs remain stranded in Jordan.
