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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Filipina caregiver assisted employer before death over Iranian missile' — envoy

'Filipina caregiver assisted employer before death over Iranian missile' — envoy

Published Mar 2, 2026 01:23 pm
Mary Ann de Vera (Photo from her Facebook account)
Mary Ann de Vera (Photo from her Facebook account)
Filipina caregiver Mary Ann Velasquez de Vera managed to bring her employer to safety before she was killed by Iran's missile attack on Israel.
When the sirens blared across Israel on the first night of its joint attack with the US on Iran on Feb. 28, the 32-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from Basista, Pangasinan, rushed to assist her patient and brought her to shelter.
But "the impact" caused by the Iranian missile shattered their apartment in Tel Aviv and pinned her beneath the debris, according to Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola-Rau.
Citing local reports, Mendiola-Rau said it took a "considerable amount of time" before responders managed to pull her out of the country. De Vera was still alive when she was rescued, but she eventually "unfortunately expired," she added.
"According to reports from rescuers cited in the media, Mary Ann was found in the stairwell of her employer’s apartment," Mendiola-Rau told Manila Bulletin.
"She still had a faint pulse but was pinned beneath heavy debris. She was carefully extracted from the rubble, but sadly passed away while being prepared for transport to the hospital," she added.
De Vera was the first Filipino to be reported as a casualty in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which stemmed from Israel-US' joint attack on Iran that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israel and the US justified their attack by saying it was taken to terminate existential threats posed by the regime of the Iranian supreme leader, who repeatedly threatened both countries.
Meanwhile, one Filipino national was also reported injured in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Iran's attacks on several Gulf states, according to UAE's Ministry of Defense.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has yet to issue a statement on Filipino casualties and injuries.
There are about 2.4 million Filipinos across the Middle East, mainly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait.

Repatriation

According to Mendiola-Rau, 54 Filipinos in Israel, composed of 32 tourist pilgrims and 22 OFWs, have already expressed their intent to be repatriated.
But the embassy is facing difficulty sending them home as the Israeli airspace and the airspace of neighboring Jordan to the east are closed.
The only "viable" option for now is to bring them to Egypt, at the south of Israel, but it also poses a risk because there are US military bases along the way that might be hit by Iranian missiles.
"Unfortunately, ang pinakamalaking problema natin ay yung airspace, sarado. Paano natin ililipad yung bangkay niya? 'Yan yung pinakamalaking problema natin ngayon (Unfortunately, our biggest problem is the closed airspace. How are we going to fly her remains out? That is our biggest problem right now)," Mendiola-Rau also said in an interview with News5, referring to the remains of de Vera.
Meanwhile, in Iran, Philippine Ambassador Roberto Manalo said "some" Filipinos there already expressed their intent to go back to the country.
"Meron pa-ilan-ilan na gustong magpa-repatriate, 'yung mga OFWs na namention ko (There are a few who want to be repatriated, those OFWs I mentioned)," Manalo said over DZBB interview. There are about 900 Filipinos in Iran, including about 50 OFWs and those who are married to Iranian nationals and their children.
There are also Filipino students in Iran who now want to be repatriated following their schools' closure, he added.
Just like in Israel, the Philippine Embassy in Iran is having difficulty flying out the Filipinos there because the Iranian airspace is closed.
"This time around ang open border na nakikita namin (the open border that we now see) would be the Turkish border," he said. Türkiye is located northwest of Iran.
"Ang aming plan if ever... is dadalhin namin sila up to the Turkish border, and once na maitawid namin sila doon, dapat sasaluhin sila ng ating embassy naman doon sa Turkey at sila na bahala na i-repatriate sila back to the Philippines (Our plan, if ever, is to bring them to the Turkish border, and once we cross them over, our embassy in Turkey should receive them and take charge of repatriating them back to the Philippines)," he added.
However, there is still no definite date when the embassy can do so because they have to process the entry visa of Filipinos.

Related Tags

PH-Israel Mary Ann Velasquez de Vera Israel Iran airstrikes
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