MANILA, Philippines —Senator Risa Hontiveros urged Malacañang to act swiftly and decisively to protect Filipinos caught in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, warning that complacency could put millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in grave danger.

“The whole of government must prepare measures to safeguard OFWs in the region,” Hontiveros said. “Milyon-milyon ang Pilipinong maapektuhan kung sakaling lumala ang krisis sa Middle East. There is no room for complacency.”

Hontiveros cited the vulnerability of over 2.2 million Filipinos in the region, including 29,473 in Israel and 1,184 in Iran, as tensions rise following Iran’s threat of retaliation against U.S. forces and facilities across multiple countries in the Middle East.

She also questioned whether the alert level system used by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) remains sufficient, given the “almost daily escalations in violence and disruption.” The DFA currently maintains Alert Level 3 or voluntary repatriation for both Israel and Iran.

“Ang sabi ng DFA, hindi pa idineklara ang Alert Level 4 at hihintayin pa daw ang recommendation ng mga ambassadors,” she said. “Meanwhile, many other European and Asian countries are already evacuating their citizens. Sana hindi tayo mag-eevacuate kung kailan huli na ang lahat.”

The senator called on the DFA and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to finalize and fund contingency plans for mass evacuation, transportation, and welfare assistance for OFWs who may be forced to flee.

“Unahin natin ang kaligtasan ng ating mga OFW. Huwag tayo maging kampante at huwag natin balewalain ang panganib,” Hontiveros said. “Kung hindi, napakaraming kababayan natin ang maapektuhan at malaking panibagong krisis ito para sa buong bansa.”