VICE President Sara Duterte criticized the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., saying the national government failed to adequately prepare for the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) despite long-standing warnings of a possible global conflict.
The vice president aired her concerns during a mass held at San Pedro Cathedral on March 11, 2026, marking the first anniversary of the arrest of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Speaking to supporters after the religious service, Duterte said the government appeared unprepared to address the risks faced by Filipino workers abroad as tensions in the Middle East intensified.
“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,” Duterte stated.
(“We have not seen any action from the administration. We had already heard about the threat of war as early as 2022, we had already seen it… especially from foreign governments that were already looking at the possibility of a war by 2025.)
Her remarks came as the Philippine government continues to monitor the safety of Filipinos overseas following the escalation of hostilities after the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28. The attack reportedly killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggered retaliatory missile strikes by Tehran targeting U.S. military facilities and allied positions in several Gulf states, including United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, and Israel.
The military exchanges disrupted regional air travel and forced the closure of several airports, leaving thousands of international passengers stranded.
Government response
Malacañang said the government has begun arranging the repatriation of Filipinos from affected areas. President Marcos confirmed that authorities are coordinating charter flights to bring home OFWs who wish to return to the Philippines.
“We have made many arrangements. We are arranging charter flights kasi medyo lumuwag na ang sitwasyon,” the President said during a press briefing in New York City.
“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,” he added.
Marcos said the government is also exploring land border crossings from neighboring countries to facilitate the safe movement of Filipinos from conflict-affected areas, particularly from Israel and other parts of the Middle East.
To help overseas workers stay in contact with their families, the President also directed telecommunications companies to provide free communication services for Filipinos in the region.
“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.
Telecom providers, particularly the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), subsequently activated the Libreng Tawag Program, allowing free calls between Filipinos in the Middle East and their families in the Philippines. The program covers workers in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Millions of Filipinos in the region
Data from the Department of Foreign Affairs estimates that around 2.4 million Filipinos are living and working across the Middle East, many of them in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier figures from the Foreign Service Institute indicated that about 2.1 million Filipino migrants were already in the region as of 2024, with roughly three percent — about 60,000 individuals — undocumented.
Maps released by the Institute for the Study of War show that the majority of recent military strikes have been concentrated inside Iran and along coastal areas of the Persian Gulf, a strategic corridor that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Filipinos affected
The intensifying conflict has already affected several Filipinos in the region. At least one Filipino has been confirmed dead, while more than a hundred others have been repatriated to the Philippines so far.
Government agencies continue to coordinate evacuation and assistance efforts as the situation remains fluid, with officials warning that further escalation in the Middle East could place thousands of overseas Filipino workers at risk. DEF