The Philippines is not inclined to issue a travel advisory against Saudi Arabia and Iran, saying there is no immediate security threat against overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the two Middle East states locked in a diplomatic crisis over the execution of an Iranian Shiite cleric.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesman Charles Jose said the threat against Filipinos in the two countries are considered “low level” at the moment based on the assessment of Manila’s embassies there.
“But we have contingency measures in place if need to activate it,” he said. “There is no need for a travel advisory now. There is no immediate threat against our workers.”
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were damaged when Riyadh executed on Saturday Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr for alleged involvement in terrorism. Protesters in the Shiite-majority Iran torched Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran hours after the execution, forcing Riyadh to cut ties with Iran.
Jose said the DFA is watching the developments “very closely,” fearing the crisis, should it escalate, could spill over to other countries in the Middle East and affect tens of thousands of Filipino workers.
Around 800,000 Filipinos are working in Saudi Arabia. Jose did not provide figures for Iran, but said most of Filipinos there are married to Iranian nationals.
“The development in the Middle East, particularly the relations between Saudi and Iran, is important to us. We have a strong interest in the maintenance of peace and stability in the Middle East because we have many workers there,” Jose said.