With an American aircraft carrier expected to take position off Israel’s northern coast and F-22 stealth fighters already deployed at an air base in the country’s south, the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv posted a public advisory Saturday calling on Filipinos to prepare for the possibility of rapid escalation in the region.
The advisory, shared through the embassy’s official Facebook page, asked the estimated tens of thousands of Filipinos in Israel to identify the nearest mamad — the Israeli term for a reinforced safe room — or public shelter in their area, and to be ready to enter immediately upon receiving a red alert, whether through a mobile app, text message, or audible siren.
The embassy said it is actively tracking the security situation across Israel and the broader Middle East, and directed Filipinos to follow real-time updates from the IDF Home Front Command for any shifts in safety protocols. “Maging mas maingat at alerto sa mga susunod na araw,” the advisory read — urging Filipinos to take extra care and stay alert in the days ahead.
To receive verified updates directly, the embassy pointed its community to an official WhatsApp channel, providing both a QR code and a direct link for immediate access.
The advisory came hours after Washington ordered non-emergency US government personnel and their families to leave Israel, citing safety risks — a move that several other governments, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, and China, mirrored with their own warnings to nationals in the country.
US President Donald Trump, speaking Friday, left open the question of military action against Iran, saying “sometimes you have to” use force while adding that no final decision had been made. Iran and the United States are reported to have agreed to further talks next week, with Omani mediators claiming progress toward a nuclear deal, though the situation remains fluid.
The Philippines has maintained an Alert Level 2 designation for Israel since October 2023, which restricts non-essential travel and bars new deployment of overseas Filipino workers to the country. Senator Risa Hontiveros has previously noted that around 29,400 Filipinos are estimated to be in Israel, many of them caregivers employed in the country’s elder care sector.’Be on alert’: Philippine embassy reminds Filipinos in Israel to stay informed as regional tensions rise
