Duterte Orders AFP to ready Air and Naval Assets to Evacuate OFWs in case war in the Middle East Occur

With the increasing conflict between the United States of America and Iran, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, had released an order to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to make preparations involving its air and naval equipment and other assets.

This is a precautionary measure in case they need to evacuate all of the OFWs in the Middle East due to the war threats in the region.




According to Arsenio Andolong of the Department of National Defense (DND), the president of the Philippines had ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to ready the air and naval equipment and other assets of the country to secure the OFWs in the Middle East and bring them back home in case war happens in the region between the US and Iran.

The order of the president to the AFP was made after the Chief Executive had arranged a meeting with Delfin Lorenzana (the Secretary of the DND), Lt. Gen. Filemon T. Santos (the chief-of-staff of the AFP), the commanders of all the branches of the AFP, PNP chief, and principal personnel in the afternoon of January 5, 2020, Sunday.




The agenda of the emergency meeting was to assure the safety of the OFWs in the Middle East because of the rising danger from the conflicts between the US and Iran results in war.

The focus of the meeting was to confirm the safety of all of the people from the Philippines who are working in the Middle East, especially the OFWs working in Iran and Iraq, despite the increasing conflict between the US and Iran.