Andanar urges Filipinos in Iraq to coordinate with
PH embassy
MANILA -- Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary
Martin Andanar on Wednesday called on Filipinos residing and working in Baghdad
to closely coordinate with the Philippine Embassy in Iraq to ensure their
security and safety.
"We
would like to inform that a mandatory evacuation has been imposed for all
Filipinos living, working, and staying in Iraq. This comes after the Department
of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has raised the Alert Level to Level 4 due to security
threats as a result of the rising tensions in the Middle East," Andanar
said in a statement. "We are urging everyone to coordinate with the
Philippine Embassy in Iraq for their subsequent repatriation."
The
Philippine Embassy in Iraq announced earlier Wednesday that President Rodrigo
Duterte has ordered all Filipinos living and working in Iraq to return to the
Philippines.
Some 4,000
Filipinos are living and working in Iraq, DFA data showed.
The order to
repatriate Filipinos in Iraq came after the highest threat alert was raised in
Baghdad amid the escalating tensions between the US and Iraq.
Alert Level
4, which calls for mandatory repatriation and forced evacuation, is issued
“when there is a large-scale internal conflict or full-blown external account,”
according to the DFA's website.
Iran's top
military commander, Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated in a US airstrike
conducted in Baghdad, Iraq last week, a move that prompted Iran to pledge
retaliation against the US.
Andanar said
the Duterte government would continue monitoring the situation of the Filipino
residents and workers in Iraq.
"As
there is still no advisory for Filipinos staying in neighboring countries in
the Middle East, we will continue to monitor and coordinate with the DFA for
the recommended course of action, should there be any," he said. "The
Duterte administration will continue to ensure the protection and safety of all
of our overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East from this security
crisis."
In a press
conference held earlier Wednesday, Budget Assistant Secretary Rolando Toledo
said about PHP1.8 billion in government funds can be tapped for the
repatriation of Filipinos in the Middle East.
Toledo said
PHP1.29 billion of the total PHP1.8 billion fund allocated for the OFWs’ repatriation
would be taken from the DFA allocation.
The other
PHP100 million will come from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration while
the remaining PHP500 million is a “free fund,” he said. (PNA)
