The government will activate an existing mechanism if ever the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran escalates, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said on Thursday.
Coloma noted that the government has standard policies and procedures in countries where there are large concentrations of Filipinos, as part of its assistance to Filipino nationals.
Nearly one million Filipinos are working or staying in Saudi Arabia.
“Nariyan ang ating mga Embahada, Consulada, meron ding mga tanggapan ang ibang kagawaran, katulad ng Department of Labor (and Employment). At sa ating pinag-uusapang lugar, ang Middle East, meron na tayong mga naging recent experiences under the current administration, kabilang na ang nangyari sa Libya at sa Egypt,” he explained.
“Kaya patuloy na pina-fine-tune at ina-update ang mga plano na dati nang naihanda para tiyakin na ito ay magiging epektibo kung anuman ang sitwasyon na maganap at patuloy na mino-monitor ng DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) ito,” he said.
The Palace official said based on DFA’s overall assessment, there is no need to impose any of the alert levels in the government’s standard procedures.
“Ang importante dito ay matitiyak natin ang kaligtasan at kagalingan, safety and well-being of all of our citizens, dahil marami silang nagtatrabaho sa Middle East at pinakaraming bahagi nito ay nasa Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were at the lowest level after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi’ite cleric.
The execution infuriated Iranians, resulting in an attack on the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran. (PCOO/PND)