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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
March 12, 2026 | 4:57pm
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro during a press briefing.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang said Thursday, March 12, it is monitoring reports of a document warning of possible Iranian drone attack on California — where an estimated 1.7 million Filipinos live — though United States officials have already stressed the threat is not considered credible or imminent.
At a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government cannot afford to dismiss the reports, given the size of the Filipino community in the state.
"When there is such information, our country really needs to prepare for our countrymen, and we cannot ignore or sleep on it. We also need to be alert to whatever may happen to our countrymen in California," Castro said in mixed English and Filipino.
Castro's remarks came after Reuters reported that an FBI security bulletin warned of a possible Iranian plan to launch drone strikes on California from a vessel at sea, in retaliation for US strikes on Iran.
The FBI bulletin was issued in late February and distributed to California law enforcement before the war in the Middle East broke out on February 28, according to Reuters. It cited FBI information that as of early February, Iran "allegedly aspired" to conduct a drone attack from a vessel at sea against California targets in the event of US strikes on Iran, Reuters reported.
But US and California officials have since moved to temper alarm over the bulletin. Multiple US and California law enforcement and intelligence officials have been cited in US media reports saying there is no known, specific threat behind the memo.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has reportedly said the state is not aware of any imminent threats but remains prepared for any emergency.
The FBI bulletin is of particular interest to the Philippines because California has the largest Filipino population of any US state. An estimated 1.6 million Filipinos live in the state, according to US Census data cited by the Pew Research Center. This accounts for roughly 38% of the 4.4 million Filipinos in the US.
The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier declined requests for comment and said it did not have information on the matter yet.
The war in the region began with massive US and Israeli bombardments of Iran on February 28. Iran's supreme leader and other top officials were killed in the initial strikes.
Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone attacks against Israel and several Gulf states hosting US military installations. Several US soldiers have been killed in attacks on bases in the region.
