Filipinos working inside Iran-hit US bases pulled out before strikes

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MANILA, Philippines — There are Filipinos working inside the American military bases in the Gulf that Iran attacked over the weekend, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac confirmed on Monday, March 3.

But Filipino base workers were evacuated before the strikes hit, he said, and no Filipino was reported hurt.

"May mga nagtatrabaho Filipino within the basis," Cacdac told reporters at a Palace briefing. "But we know also that the military protocol is such na kapag meron ng military engagement... hindi nakasali ang mga civilians."

(There are Filipinos working within the bases. But we know that military protocol is such that when there is a military engagement, civilians are not involved.)

He said Filipino base workers were "efficiently and sufficiently pulled out or evacuated" from the facilities. He did not say how many Filipinos are employed at US installations in the region.

Cacdac said compensation has not been a problem for the base workers because they are covered under their existing employment arrangements.

"Hindi issue at this stage sa kanila 'yung paghinto sa trabaho... dahil they are properly compensated for naman din," he said. (Stopping work is not an issue for them at this stage because they are properly compensated.)

Iran launched missiles and drones at American military installations on February 28 after the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

Among the targets were US bases in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait — all countries that host large Filipino communities. The Philippine embassy in Bahrain specifically warned Filipinos to avoid the Juffair area, where the US naval facility is located.

The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates that the four countries are home to nearly 1.5 million Filipinos combined: 973,000 in the UAE, 250,000 in Qatar, 211,000 in Kuwait, and 56,000 in Bahrain.

EDCA debate resurfaces at home

The attacks on US bases abroad have reignited debate over the Philippines' own defense ties with Washington.

Sen. Erwin Tulfo, chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, called for a review of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), warning that American facilities in the Philippines could become targets if the conflict widens.

Rep. Sarah Jane Elago (Gabriela Partylist) went further, calling on the government to scrap EDCA entirely to avoid what she called collateral damage from the US-Iran war.

But the National Security Council pushed back, and in a statement read by Palace spokesperson Claire Castro during the same briefing, emphasized that technically, "there are no American military bases in the Philippines."

The EDCA sites, it said, "are Philippine military bases that remain under the full ownership, control, and management of the Armed Forces of the Philippines."

The NSC added that "tensions remain confined to the region and there is no verified direct threat to Philippine territory, including our military facilities."

The Department of National Defense echoed the statement, saying the conflict is contained in the Middle East and that there is no credible direct threat to the country. It said the Armed Forces of the Philippines stands ready to assist in repatriation and crisis response if needed.