The Philippines is preparing to evacuate thousands of Filipinos working in the Middle East as regional tensions rise following the killing of a top Iranian commander by the U.S.President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo on Tuesday said this in Manila. About 2.3 million people from the Philippines are working in the Middle East as domestic helpers, construction workers, engineers, and nurses. Duterte has ordered the armed forces to prepare air and naval assets for the evacuation of Filipinos in Iraq, Iran, and nearby Arab countries, Panelo said. “We have so many Filipinos working mainly in the Middle East. Filipinos in the Middle East sent home 5.4 billion dollars in remittances from January to October 2019, accounting for a fifth of total remittances for that period.

Source: Punch January 07, 2020 11:15 UTC