Año: PH will not be involved in Middle East conflict

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Wednesday assured the public that the country will not be involved in the conflict in the Middle East, adding that Iran’s missiles will not be able to reach the Philippines.

“On the topic of national security, sa ngayon dahil hindi naman tayo partido sa nangyayari ay hindi naman tayo madadamay diyan,” Año said in an ambush interview at the Department of Justice.

(On the topic of national security, right now we are not a party to what is happening so we will not be involved.)

He said that the Philippines is more than 7,000 kilometers from Iran while the missiles they possess have a range of only 2,500 kilometers.

“Yung mga ine-eksperimento nila na aabot ng 4,000 kilometers ay hindi pa rin ngayon nape-perfect, no? So malayo pa rin,” the national security adviser said.

(The missiles they are experimenting with that can reach up to 4,000 kilometers are still yet to be perfected now, right? So it is still far off.)

“Walang dapat ipag-alala ‘yung ating mga kababayan. Ang kailangan natin mag tulong-tulong para medyo hindi tayo mahirapan kasi ‘yung epekto ng ekonomiya. At syempre, ‘yung unang iniiisip din natin ‘yung kaligtasan ng ating OFW sa Middle East,” he added. 

(Our fellow citizens should not worry. What we need is to help each other so that we will not have too much difficulty because of the effects on the economy. And of course, the first thing we also think about is the safety of our OFWs in the Middle East.)

EDCA sites

Amid concerns that the EDCA sites in the Philippines may be targeted, the official said that these are Armed Forces of the Philippines bases, not US bases.

According to Año, the government is seeking to soften the war’s effect on the economy, fuel prices, and commodity prices.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has said that  the Philippines' oil supply is in good shape amid the continuing tension in the Middle East. 

Oil prices are set to increase by P17 to P24 per liter this week, but the hike will be spread over seven days instead of being implemented in a single day, according to Energy Secretary Sharon Garin. 

When asked, Año also said that there is no indication that China will launch an attack against the Philippines and Taiwan amid the conflict.

“‘Yung usapin sa West Philippine Sea tuloy-tuloy lang ‘yan. Pero sa nakikita ko hindi naman mag le-lead 'yan sa isang gera between China and the Philippines. Marami pang kaganapan na mangyayari bago dumating sa ganyan,” he said.

(The issue in the West Philippine Sea will just continue. But from what I see, it will not lead to a war between China and the Philippines. Many more developments would happen before it reaches that point.)

Despite this, he maintained the country’s sovereignty over some features in the disputed waters. 

“Malakas tayo sa ganyang paninindigan. We will not allow any inch of our territory to be taken away by any foreign power,” he said. —AOL, GMA Integrated News