CFO: PH schools in Middle East remain safe amid hostilities

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) on Monday assured that Philippine Schools Overseas (PSOs) in the Middle East remain safe and operational amid the escalation of conflict in the Gulf region.

In a statement, CFO Secretary Dante “Klink” Ang II said some schools have shifted to online classes in compliance with directives from their respective host countries.

“We’re closely monitoring the situation of our PSOs and we have advised them to heed the advisories of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), especially those concerning safety and security,” Ang said.

The CFO conducted coordinated check-calls on Monday among PSO administrators in the Middle East, who confirmed that their students, faculty, and facilities remain unaffected by the hostilities.

Monitoring PSOs is part of the CFO’s mandate in order to strengthen ties between overseas Filipinos and the Philippines while ensuring their welfare.

There are 35 Philippine schools operating in 11 countries all over the world: Bahrain, East Timor, Cambodia, Greece, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The CFO said there are 27 PSOs in the Arabian Gulf region.

“These institutions serve approximately 25,000 students at various levels, from pre-elementary to high school, and about 1,000 teachers, administrators, and school personnel,” the agency said.

The CFO added that it will remain in “constant monitoring mode” with the DFA and the DMW to provide updates to families in the Philippines who have relatives employed or enrolled in PSOs. — JMA, GMA Integrated News