A Filipino worker in Saudi Arabia has been taken into custody over allegedly uploading airstrike footage online, the Department of Migrant Workers confirmed, bringing to three the number of OFWs now facing detention in the Middle East over social media posts tied to the ongoing regional conflict.
DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said the Saudi-based worker had already reached out to Philippine authorities seeking help. The government, he said, is committed to standing behind all three detained Filipinos regardless of where they are held.
“We will help these 3 OFWs … na humarap sa kanilang kaso, while they’re are incarcerated. We respect their laws, we respect their processes but we will provide for legal assistance. Libre po ang abugado na ibibigay natin sa kanila,” Olalia said.
The other two cases involve OFWs held in the UAE, where the Philippine Embassy confirmed earlier that the workers were detained for allegedly posting videos of missile strikes. The embassy said families of the detained Filipinos have been notified and that legal assistance is already being extended.
Alongside the confirmed arrests, the DMW reiterated a warning it has previously issued to Filipinos across the Gulf: sharing or uploading footage of airstrikes and similar incidents could breach host country laws and touch on national security concerns. The advisory specifically named Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
A chartered repatriation flight has also been deployed to the UAE to assist Filipino nationals looking to leave as the Iran-Israel-US conflict continues to affect the region.
