Millions of Filipinos working across the Middle East are navigating an increasingly dangerous situation — and Vice President Sara Duterte says the government had more than enough time to prepare for it.
Duterte made the remarks to supporters following a Mass at San Pedro Cathedral on March 11, 2026, held to mark one year since the arrest of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte. She said the Marcos administration showed little visible action despite years of warning signals from foreign governments about the possibility of a major regional conflict.
“Wala tayong nakikita na ginagawa ng administrasyon. Ang banta ng giyera narinig na natin yan noong taong 2022 palang, nakita na natin yan… lalong-lalo na yung galing sa mga foreign governments na meron silang tinitingnan na posibleng giyera ng taon na 2025,” she said.
The warnings she referenced have since given way to open conflict. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran, reportedly killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran responded with missile strikes on U.S. military installations and allied positions across several Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, and Israel. The exchanges knocked out regional air routes and forced airport closures, leaving thousands of travelers stranded across the region.
The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates that approximately 2.4 million Filipinos are living and working in the Middle East, concentrated heavily in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Earlier data from the Foreign Service Institute put the figure at around 2.1 million as of 2024, with roughly 60,000 of them undocumented. Maps from the Institute for the Study of War show recent strikes clustered inside Iran and along the Persian Gulf coastline — a corridor that runs through Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
At least one Filipino has been confirmed dead, and more than a hundred have been repatriated since hostilities escalated.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., speaking to reporters during a press briefing in New York City, said evacuation and repatriation efforts are actively underway, with charter flights already operating between Dubai and Manila.
“We have made many arrangements. We are arranging charter flights kasi medyo lumuwag na ang sitwasyon,” Marcos said. “Yung lumipad na Emirates coming out of Dubai, nakatatlong flight na yata tayo. Dubai-Manila ‘yun, mga Dubai-Manila. So, that’s direct and ‘yun, naisakay natin ‘yung mga ibang Pilipino.”
Beyond air evacuation, Marcos said the government is looking at land border crossings from neighboring countries to move Filipinos — particularly those in Israel — out of conflict zones.
To ease concerns back home, Marcos directed telecommunications companies to offer free communication services between OFWs in the region and their families in the Philippines. The Department of Information and Communications Technology subsequently activated the Libreng Tawag Program, extending free call access to Filipinos in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
“I have directed our telecommunications companies to provide free communication services between our OFWs and their families here in the Philippines,” Marcos said in a social media post.
