The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday said that aircraft are ready for transport should the government call for the full repatriation of Filipino citizens if Middle East tensions rise further due to the conflict between Iran and Israel.
“(The) PAF has been involved in repatriation activities, and we commit normally the (Lockheed) C-130s, and right now we have the (Airbus) C-295 platforms,” PAF Commander Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura said at a press briefing at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay.
“The C-295 (and) C-130, we will eventually, but the coordination for the repatriation is at agency level it is being discussed at the agency level, and we will subscribe to whatever decisions they will have but your PAF will always be ready to be involved in the repatriation activities,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said they will be guided by the decisions and policies of the higher civilian authorities in all actions related to the evolving situation.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines closely monitor developments in the Middle East, particularly the situation between Iran and Israel. At this time, our priority is to support the Philippine government’s efforts to ensure the safety and possible retaliation of Filipinos in affected areas,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in the same briefing.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday reiterated that the Philippines has raised a voluntary repatriation alert in Iran and Israel as the conflict between the two Middle Eastern countries continues.
The Philippines is processing some 200 repatriates, with Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac in Jordan—a country geographically sandwiched between Israel and Iran—to help Filipinos return to the Philippines.