THE decadeslong enmity between the United States and Iran has boiled over into armed conflict that threatens to engulf the entire Middle East.
Late last week, the US and Israel launched missile strikes on multiple targets across Iran, including the capital, Tehran, in what US President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations.”
Iran has retaliated by firing missiles at northern Israel and at US military bases in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
On Saturday, Trump announced that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” killed in the attack on Tehran.
Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei’s death, and the Revolutionary Guards vowed to punish his “murderers.”
The judiciary’s news agency claimed that an Israeli air strike in the southern city of Minab hit a girls’ school, killing 100 people.
Underscoring the gravity of the situation, authorities called for the people in Tehran to evacuate.
Trump also urged Iranians to overthrow Iran’s Islamic republic, saying it “is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”
A region-wide war will put the almost 3 million Filipinos who work in the Middle East in harm’s way. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. realizes this, and has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to “take immediate measures to ensure their safety.”
Already, Philippine embassies in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan have advised Filipinos to limit their movement to avoid becoming a casualty of war.
So far, there are no reports of Filipinos killed or injured in the attacks, but that could change as the conflict escalates.
Ensuring the safety of our workers in the region is only one concern. Repatriating the multitude of Filipinos who want to go home will be one of the biggest challenges the Marcos administration could face.
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have long been the financial lifeline to their families and a major contributor to the national economy. Remittances from OFWs in the Middle East contributed a record $38.34 billion in 2024.
OFWs in the Middle East live under a constant cloud of political volitivity. A stream of internecine wars has triggered forced evacuation and triggered employment disruptions.
“The ripple effects of such conflicts extend far beyond the immediate war zones, impacting neighboring countries and creating a domino effect of economic uncertainty,” one study on OFWs in the Middle East last year noted. “For instance, the conflict in Yemen has led to a sharp decline in remittances from OFWs in the region, impacting the Philippine economy and the families who rely on these crucial financial inflows.”
“Similarly, tensions between Iran and other regional powers, coupled with the rise of non-state actors, can disrupt trade routes, escalate security concerns and lead to job losses in affected sectors,” it said.
The fierce rivalries add “another layer of complexity, potentially impacting trade routes and economic stability. These geopolitical factors directly influence the demand for labor and the working conditions of OFWs.”
Previous conflicts were confined to particular areas like Israel, Iran and a number of Gulf states. Last week’s attacks were the first time other supposedly “benign” states like the UAE were targeted.
The states are also where there are large concentrations of Filipino workers.
The sheer number of OFWs displaced by the developing conflict could overwhelm government resources.
The DMW will be leading efforts to prevent such a crisis from happening.
The department has a comprehensive assistance package for distressed OFWs and their families, providing cash aid of from P5,000 to P100,000 for cases of abuse, terminations, medical emergencies or repatriation.
During the celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos last December, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac underscored the need to create “sustainable pathways” for returning OFWs through skills recognition, livelihood support, employment matching and psychosocial services.
Cacdac must see to it that the department can provide the same services on a much bigger scale as a wider, more intense war shapes up in the Middle East.