U.S.-Iran tension endangers not just jobs, but also lives of Filipinos in Middle East — ACTS-OFW
U.S.-Iran tension endangers not just jobs, but also lives of Filipinos in Middle East — ACTS-OFW
Says those in peril include Filipino sailors on Western oil & gas tankers that could be attacked by Iran in retaliation for the killing of its top general
The brewing tension in the Middle East following the US government’s assassination of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani endangers not just the jobs but also the lives of Filipinos in that part of the globe, the ACTS-OFW Coalition of Organizations warned Sunday.
“Right now, hundreds of Filipino sailors on Western oil and gas tankers navigating through the Strait of Hormuz every day are already in harm’s way, given that Iran has warned of swift and severe retaliation,” said ACTS-OFW chairman Aniceto Bertiz III.
“Iran is in a position to attack Western merchant ships along the strategic waterway that provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean,” Bertiz, a former member of Congress, said.
“Any eruption of open hostilities in the Middle East involving the US is bound to drag its major military allies such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both of which host large numbers of Filipino workers,” Bertiz pointed out.
“In an extreme scenario, even Filipinos in some parts of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar might be exposed to danger, considering that they also host American military facilities and/or personnel,” Bertiz said.
Land-based Filipino workers in the Middle East sent home a total of $6.7 billion in cash in 2018 and another $5 billion from January to October 2019, according to Bertiz.
(PRESS RELEASE)
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