Prepare to evacuate Pinoys in Iran, Iraq
Credit to Author: Dempsey Reyes| Date: Sun, 05 Jan 2020 16:17:48 +0000
President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday directed the military to prepare for the evacuation of thousands of Filipinos in Iran and Iraq should tensions flare in the Middle East following the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani last week.
Department of National Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong said the President called Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., Philippine National Police officer in charge Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, the commanding generals of the Army, Air Force and Navy to an emergency meeting in Malacañang Sunday afternoon.
Andolong said the Palace meeting’s sole agenda “was how to insure the safety of our countrymen in the Middle East especially those in Iraq and Iran as tension between the US and Iran rises.”
There are about 1,600 Filipinos in Iraq and 6,000 in Iran, Andolong said.
He said Duterte had directed the Philippine military to prepare all aerial and naval assets “to evacuate and bring home our countrymen if and when open hostilities erupt in the Middle East that may endanger their lives.”
Soleimani was killed in a US air strike at Iraq’s international airport Friday.
He was a key figure in spreading the influence of Iran in the Middle East. But he was also accused of masterminding terrorist operations in the region and had long been marked for assassination by the US.
Iran has vowed to avenge Soleimani’s death and US President Donald Trump has warned that the US would respond to any retaliatory act.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go had earlier said the government was closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East.
“Let us wait for our government, especially on what security measures it will implement,” Go said in an interview during his visit to fire victims in Barangay Basra in Quezon City where he distributed financial and relief aid.
“I am sure that our government will implement many measures [to address the matter]. The President is very conscious and aware sa mga nangyayari doon (of what’s happening there),” he said.
On Sunday, House Deputy Minority leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate condemned the killing of the Iranian general, saying the volatile situation could affect the country’s overseas workers and oil prices.
Zarate said the “ill-considered action is emblematic of US imperialist terrorism and blatant disregard for the sovereignty of other countries.”
“US President [Donald] Trump’s inane and reckless act seems to be aimed to deflect the domestic issues he is facing but may have very serious economic, political and military implications not just for the Philippines but for the whole world, he said.
The escalation of tension could put at risk at least two million overseas Filipino workers in the Gulf countries, could reduce remittances if they were to be repatriated, and could eventually lead to a downtrend in the Philippines’ Gross National Product, Zarate said.
The escalating tension could also affect oil prices in the country, House Deputy Speaker Michael Romero, as he urged the government to suspend the excise tax on fuels “at the right time” to cushion any inflationary impact.
“If need be, the excise tax can also be suspended for other oil imports on a calibrated basis. Our tariff and taxation laws give the President enough leeway for various temporary calibrations,” Romero, also President of The Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc., said.
But Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said the assassination of Soleimani will have little to no immediate impact on prices of domestic fuel products.
The incident has “no effect for this week,” Fuentebella said in a text message to The Manila Times, adding the impact could come after five trading days.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said his department was monitoring the situation.
“The development in the Middle East is a real concern which we are watching very closely as it would impact on the supply and price of oil. It will surely affect us considering that we are import dependent,” Cusi told The Manila Times in a text message.
But analysts think otherwise.
“We may see an increase at the pump but not that significant as we have just had an increase last week and we may see oil prices settle lower due to increased stockpiles in the US,” AAA Equities Head of Research Christopher Mangun told The Times in a text message.
“International oil prices have already increased in reaction to the tensions in the Middle East and this is expected to spill over to the local oil market,” Philstocks Financial Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis Tantiangco said.
Right after Soleimani was killed early Friday, global crude prices soared by more than 4 percent.
WITH BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO, DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ AND JORDEENE B. LAGARE