Erwin Tulfo urges recovery plan for OFWs stalled by Middle East attacks

Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chair Erwin Tulfo on Sunday called on the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to implement a recovery plan for Filipinos who were set to travel to the Middle East for work, following the airstrikes launched by the United States and Israel on Iran.

Tulfo noted that some of those affected came from provincial areas.

“While we are concerned about our fellow Filipinos caught in the conflict in countries affected by the airstrikes in the Middle East, we also call on the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to pay attention to Filipinos who were about to leave the country for work but had to stay due to the ongoing unrest,” he said.

The United States and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran on Saturday, escalating tensions in the region.

According to the Israeli military, Iran retaliated with missile strikes toward Israel. The Pentagon has officially designated the American strikes as Operation Epic Fury.

Tulfo also highlighted the need for mental health support for affected OFWs.

“We should exhaust all remedies available for them, not only financially but also for their mental health,” he said.

He added that his office is “continuously in touch with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the DMW to activate measures without delay, including the preparation and implementation of immediate repatriation plans for those who wish to return home.”

Senator Francis Pangilinan also called for swift government action for Filipinos in the Middle East.

“Agad-agad na ipatupad ang crisis protocol sa mga dalawang milyong Pilipinong nagtatrabaho at naninirahan doon, kabilang na ang mga isang libong nasa Iran,” he said.

(Immediately implement the crisis protocol for the roughly two million Filipinos working and living there, including the approximately one thousand currently in Iran.)

Pangilinan further urged the government to suspend excise taxes on diesel and kerosene amid the crisis.

“Kailangan ding mabilisang ipatupad ang pansamantalang pagsuspinde ng excise tax sa diesel at kerosene para maibsan nang bahagya ang siguradong pagsirit ng fuel prices.”

(It is also necessary to swiftly implement the temporary suspension of excise taxes on diesel and kerosene to slightly ease the expected surge in fuel prices.)

Groups condemn attacks

Various groups condemned the attacks on Iran. The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) called the airstrikes a “grave violation of international law.”

“Once again, we see a military escalation justified in the language of ‘security’ and ‘prevention,’ even as sustained diplomatic avenues are undermined," said CenPEG chair Roland Simbulan.

"This is a reckless display of hegemonic power that places the people of the Middle East—and the world—at the mercy of militarized geopolitics,” he added.

Similarly, the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) said the attacks “illustrate the fallacious and destructive foreign policies implemented by the Trump administration.”

“We also call on the Philippine government to stand with us in calling for the cessation of hostilities to secure the safety of over two million Filipino workers now caught in the crosshairs of a bloody regional conflict,” SPARK added.—MCG, GMA Integrated News