Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo (Rep. Salo's office)

Top officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has assured congressmen that they are prepared to assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East--including the prospect of mass evacuation--in case an all-out war breaks out. 

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega and DMW Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac were among the government officials that attended the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs briefing Thursday, April 18. 

The briefing delved into the potential crisis plan of the involved agencies if and when the situation there goes south. As expected, the mass evacuation of the Filipinos was the main concern. 

Panel chairman Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo asked the officials at the tail end of the meeting: "Ano po sa tingin niyo ang readiness po natin, in case kakailanganin (What do you think is our level of readiness, in case we need to do it)?" 

"Ako (For me), at least 9.5, 9 [out of 10]," De Vega confidently said. 

Salo then turned to Cacdac, who replied, "We go by the DFA assessment, one-country team po tayo (we're a one-country team)." 

De Vega qualified his answer afterward, which gave the House members a better glimpse of his take as far as  preparedness is concerned. 

"Kaya ko lang sinabing 9 [out of 10] kasi mayabang kung sabihing 10. We can always improve, kaya ko sinabing 9 (The reason why I said 9 was because I'll sound bragging if I said 10. We can always improve, that's why I said 9)," 

Salo, who works closely with OFWs in his capacity as chairman of the particular committee, says he feels "relieved and assured". 

“I feel relieved and assured that our agencies, primarily tasked with ensuring the safety of our kababayans, have affirmed that a contingency plan is in place in the event of war in the Middle East. Furthermore, this plan is shared with and supported by all other agencies, is consistent with the pertinent laws of the host states, and is properly communicated with our Filipino communities,” he said. 

“Today’s gathering demonstrated a united front in our resolve to ensure the safety of OFWs, especially in crisis areas. It is this type of whole-of-government, whole-of-nation and whole-of-society approach that reflects our commitment to our kababayans,” Salo said.