Senator Imelda “Imee” Marcos on Sunday, October 15 urged the Marcos administration to exercise caution in its pronouncements on the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Marcos made the call in light of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.,’s assurance that the Philippines stands with Israel when he met with Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss in Malacañang last Oct. 11.
“So kinokondena natin ‘yan pero sa kabila nito, maghunos dili tayo sa pagsasalita tungkol sa Palestinian at Israel conflict ‘pagkat andiyan ‘yung trenta mil (30M) yata ang Pilipino mahigit sa Israel - caregiver, agricultural students at iba-iba pa (We condemn the act, but beyond that, we must exercise caution in making pronouncements regarding the conflict because we have 30 million Filipinos in Israel who are caregivers, agricultural students and others),” Marcos said in an interview on Radio DZBB.
“Pagtibayin muna natin ang seguridad ng mga Pilipinong nasa (Let us first secure the welfare of all Filipinos in) Israel. At ikalawa, bantayan natin na ‘yung ating sariling kapatid na Muslim eh hindi magalit ng puspusan kapag pumapanig tayo sa iba (and secondly, let’s look into the welfare of our own Muslim brothers, and make sure they won’t be seriously offended whenever we take sides),” she said.
“Pero sa kabila nitong lahat ay talagang kinokondena natin lahat ng uri ng terorismo (But in all these things, we really condemn all kinds of terrorism),” she pointed out.
Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said she fears that the Philippines may be targeted by symphatizers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Hezbollah and Hamas if the government chooses to take the side of Israel.
“So dahan-dahan lang tayo at pag-ingatan natin. Wala naman tayong kaaway. Tulad ng lagi kong sinasabi, ang Pilipino ay kaibigan ng lahat (So let us be careful. We have no enemies. As I always say, the Filipino should be a friend to all),” she reiterated.
At the same time, the senator encouraged Filipinos in Israel to exhaust all means to get repatriated back to the country, noting that most Filipinos tend to decide in the last minute.
The Philippine government has already raised its crisis warning in Gaza to Alert Level 4, prompting a mandatory evacuation of all Filipinos in the area.