3,000 OFWs to be hit hard by US-Iran conflict
Published Jan 5, 2020 12:00 am
By Ellson Quismorio, Roy Mabasa, Leslie Ann Aquino, and Martin Sadongdong
More than 3,000 documented and undocumented Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are expected to be heavily affected by escalating tensions in the Middle East as a result of the United States' (US) airstrike in Baghdad.
( Jun Ryan Arañas / Manila Bulletin File Photo)
"For the Philippines, the expected escalation of regional tensions in the Middle East could mean an OFW deployment ban in the region and at least two million OFWs in the Gulf countries would be put in danger. This would also mean lesser OFW remittances especially if they are to be repatriated," Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate said on Sunday.
Thursday's attack by the US killed Iran’s top military commander Qassem Soleimani, and senior Iraqi official, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
US President Donald Trump has said that the killing of Soleimani was meant to stop a war and not to start one. "He was planning a very major attack and we got him," he said of the Iranian general.
Zarate, also Senior Deputy Minority Leader, expects to see a downtrend in the Philippines' Gross National Product (GNP) as a result of the slide in OFW remittances.
Filipinos working abroad sent back home a whopping $32.21 billion in 2018, which, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), was a record figure.
Zarate said the prospect of war in the Middle East would also translate to a gut punch for those living in the Philippines.
"For us here in the home front, this would mean higher oil prices and that would mean higher prices of basic goods and services as well as higher poverty incidence, especially with the implementation of the third tranche of the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) law," he added.
Migration advocate Emmanuel Geslani estimated that in Baghdad alone, there are around 1,500 to 1,800 Filipino workers who are now working in various United States bases and international organizations.
In addition, more than 500 are said to be in the Kurdistan area which he said was “relatively safe and far from Baghdad,” the capital of Iraq where tension has been brewing in the past few days following the recent anti-American rallies outside the US Embassy, and the subsequent strike at Baghdad International Airport that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qasem Soleimani.
Geslani said there were “mostly undocumented” domestic workers in Baghdad who may need repatriation if the situation warrants or if they will be “allowed by their employers.”
The migration advocate does not see the need to repatriate Filipinos who are “safe and secure” inside the US bases which he said are equipped with concrete bunkers in case of rocket attacks.
He said Filipinos working for international contractors hired by the US Armed Forces were “not covered” by the existing deployment ban being implemented by the Philippine government.
He said the exemption for Filipinos working inside US military bases and in international organizations was covered by existing POEA Governing Board Resolutions No. 2 and 5 issued in 2014 and 2011, respectively. These orders cover Filipino workers in US bases and in international organizations located in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
READ MORE: There are more than 3,000 OFWs in Iraq, not just 1,640 as previously reported by DFA – expert
Pray for peace
Catholic prelates have called on Filipinos to pray hard for peace.
"We must resort to prayers that all must give peace a chance, work for common good, and strive for stability of the regions," Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos said.
The vice chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People said war must be avoided as it only creates destruction and death.
"There are no victors in war, just victims, and leads to a cycle of hatred and violence. War must be avoided," said Santos.
"Let us pray that the Lord move Pope Francis and other peace-loving global leaders to mediate peace and avert the further escalation of this heightened political tension in Iran, Iraq, and the rest of the Middle East," said Calookan Bishop Pablo David
"Nobody, as in nobody, stands to gain from the assassination of Iran’s Major General Qassem Soleimani, except the global arms dealers who need to stoke up international conflicts and instigate wars to boost up their arms industry," added David.
Bishop Santos urged the government to prepare a contingency plan for OFWs in the Middle East.
"We may not know what lies ahead, yet it is good and proper to have plans for safety and security of our OFWs there in the Middle East," he added.
READ MORE: Prelates call on faithful to pray amid escalation of violence in ME
PH troops
Despite the existence of the 67-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), the Philippines is not obliged to send soldiers as support force to the United States in case it engages in a war with Iran, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disclosed yesterday.
Lorenzana, in a message to the Manila Bulletin, said the MDT between the Philippines and US only covers conflict in areas in the Asia-Pacific region.
"I believe that the MDT covers only conflicts here in our region," Lorenzana said.
Signed on August 30, 1951, in Washington, DC, the MDT states that both the Philippines and US would support each other if either nations were to be attacked by a third-party country. The provisions of the accord are detailed in eight articles.
READ MORE: MDT does not oblige PH to send troops to Iraq in case of war — Lorenzana
Lieutenant General Felimon Santos Jr., newly designated Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said the military will adhere to the policies of the national government if it decides to send troops to help the US.
"Whatever the policy of the government, we will do it," Santos said.
"That will be reviewed by the national government and, of course, the Armed Forces," he added.
The Defense department is continuously monitoring the escalating tension between Washington and Tehran and wait for the recommendations of the concerned agencies if there is a need to repatriate OFWs in the conflict zone.
( Jun Ryan Arañas / Manila Bulletin File Photo)
"For the Philippines, the expected escalation of regional tensions in the Middle East could mean an OFW deployment ban in the region and at least two million OFWs in the Gulf countries would be put in danger. This would also mean lesser OFW remittances especially if they are to be repatriated," Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate said on Sunday.
Thursday's attack by the US killed Iran’s top military commander Qassem Soleimani, and senior Iraqi official, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
US President Donald Trump has said that the killing of Soleimani was meant to stop a war and not to start one. "He was planning a very major attack and we got him," he said of the Iranian general.
Zarate, also Senior Deputy Minority Leader, expects to see a downtrend in the Philippines' Gross National Product (GNP) as a result of the slide in OFW remittances.
Filipinos working abroad sent back home a whopping $32.21 billion in 2018, which, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), was a record figure.
Zarate said the prospect of war in the Middle East would also translate to a gut punch for those living in the Philippines.
"For us here in the home front, this would mean higher oil prices and that would mean higher prices of basic goods and services as well as higher poverty incidence, especially with the implementation of the third tranche of the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) law," he added.
Migration advocate Emmanuel Geslani estimated that in Baghdad alone, there are around 1,500 to 1,800 Filipino workers who are now working in various United States bases and international organizations.
In addition, more than 500 are said to be in the Kurdistan area which he said was “relatively safe and far from Baghdad,” the capital of Iraq where tension has been brewing in the past few days following the recent anti-American rallies outside the US Embassy, and the subsequent strike at Baghdad International Airport that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qasem Soleimani.
Geslani said there were “mostly undocumented” domestic workers in Baghdad who may need repatriation if the situation warrants or if they will be “allowed by their employers.”
The migration advocate does not see the need to repatriate Filipinos who are “safe and secure” inside the US bases which he said are equipped with concrete bunkers in case of rocket attacks.
He said Filipinos working for international contractors hired by the US Armed Forces were “not covered” by the existing deployment ban being implemented by the Philippine government.
He said the exemption for Filipinos working inside US military bases and in international organizations was covered by existing POEA Governing Board Resolutions No. 2 and 5 issued in 2014 and 2011, respectively. These orders cover Filipino workers in US bases and in international organizations located in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
READ MORE: There are more than 3,000 OFWs in Iraq, not just 1,640 as previously reported by DFA – expert
Pray for peace
Catholic prelates have called on Filipinos to pray hard for peace.
"We must resort to prayers that all must give peace a chance, work for common good, and strive for stability of the regions," Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos said.
The vice chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People said war must be avoided as it only creates destruction and death.
"There are no victors in war, just victims, and leads to a cycle of hatred and violence. War must be avoided," said Santos.
"Let us pray that the Lord move Pope Francis and other peace-loving global leaders to mediate peace and avert the further escalation of this heightened political tension in Iran, Iraq, and the rest of the Middle East," said Calookan Bishop Pablo David
"Nobody, as in nobody, stands to gain from the assassination of Iran’s Major General Qassem Soleimani, except the global arms dealers who need to stoke up international conflicts and instigate wars to boost up their arms industry," added David.
Bishop Santos urged the government to prepare a contingency plan for OFWs in the Middle East.
"We may not know what lies ahead, yet it is good and proper to have plans for safety and security of our OFWs there in the Middle East," he added.
READ MORE: Prelates call on faithful to pray amid escalation of violence in ME
PH troops
Despite the existence of the 67-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), the Philippines is not obliged to send soldiers as support force to the United States in case it engages in a war with Iran, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disclosed yesterday.
Lorenzana, in a message to the Manila Bulletin, said the MDT between the Philippines and US only covers conflict in areas in the Asia-Pacific region.
"I believe that the MDT covers only conflicts here in our region," Lorenzana said.
Signed on August 30, 1951, in Washington, DC, the MDT states that both the Philippines and US would support each other if either nations were to be attacked by a third-party country. The provisions of the accord are detailed in eight articles.
READ MORE: MDT does not oblige PH to send troops to Iraq in case of war — Lorenzana
Lieutenant General Felimon Santos Jr., newly designated Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said the military will adhere to the policies of the national government if it decides to send troops to help the US.
"Whatever the policy of the government, we will do it," Santos said.
"That will be reviewed by the national government and, of course, the Armed Forces," he added.
The Defense department is continuously monitoring the escalating tension between Washington and Tehran and wait for the recommendations of the concerned agencies if there is a need to repatriate OFWs in the conflict zone.