AFP to Pinoys in Mideast: Consider repatriation amid possibility of war

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Sunday urged Filipinos in the Middle East to consider going back to the country, as the possibility of a full-blown, US-Iran war looms.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, AFP spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo warned that repatriation process will be harder when war has erupted.

“Huwag po sana doon sa puntong talagang gipit na yung sitwasyon at nagpuputukan na, saka tayo hihingi ng saklolo upang mailigtas,” Arevalo said. 

“By that time, alanganin na po tayo dahil marami na po ang hihingi ng tulong…Habang meron pang espasyo para tayo ay gumalaw, makipag-coordinate na po tayo,” he added.

In war time,  Arevalo said, transportation establishments and infrastructures such as roads, bridges, and airports may be closed, and this can complicate evacuation operations.

On the other hand, he pointed out that a joint task force has been created for the repatriation of Filipinos in Middle East in light of the possibility of a full-blown war between Iran and the United States.

He claimed that the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marine are all set for the repatriation mission.

But the operation, he clarified, still needs a "diplomatic clearance," which he said the Department of Foreign Affairs has been working on.

Also, he stressed that the deployment of Philippine forces to the Middle East is solely for humanitarian and disaster-response missions.

“Hindi po tayo magpapadala ng tropa doon para sumali sa hidwaan ng mga bansa. Nandoon po tayo para sa pagligtas sa ating mga kababayan.”

A Marine battalion, an Army battalion, a Special Forces Company, a medical platoon, and a logistics support group will be deployed for the mission.

A Navy ship will dock in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to pick up some Filipinos. Aside from this, C130 and C925 planes will also be used for repatriation effort, he said.

Last week, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US military bases in Baghdad in retaliation for the US' assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. —Joviland Rita/LBG, GMA News