The Philippines has urged citizens in Iraq to leave the country, issuing the country's highest level of travel alert following Iranian missile strikes against bases housing US troops. The alert calls for the mandatory repatriation of its citizens, but the Philippines presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in an interview with CNN Philippines that while the government wants everyone to leave Iraq, it would be impossible to force Filipinos to do so.
CNN Philippines reports that military officials are considering "deploying C-130 planes and tapping the services of cruise ships" in order to carry out repatriation missions, while the country's Coast Guard is sailing a patrol vessel to Oman or Dubai.
Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos work in the Middle East and send billions of dollars home annually in the form of remittances -- leaving the country particularly vulnerable to a military crisis in the region.
President Rodrigo Duterte said he is considering calling a special session of Congress to address the issue of how to help Filipino citizens in the region if conflict were to break out.
"We need billions," Duterte said on Monday.
The Philippine armed forces said in a tweet that there are 1,600 Filipinos in Iran and 6,000 in Iraq. Many work on oil rigs, in service industries and as domestic workers. If they evacuated and left their jobs, it could have a notable impact on the Philippine economy.
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