The Palace told that it considers the safety of Filipinos overseas a top priority and vows to conduct repatriation operations, if necessary.
During the Palace Press Briefing on Thursday, March 12, Undersecretary Claire Castro urged Filipinos living in California, USA to stay alert and remain vigilant.
Specifically, the reminder comes after a bulletin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informed police departments in the state that Iran had attempted to launch unmanned aerial vehicles on unspecified targets in the state in February.
Hence, the agency warned of possible attacks in the future, especially given the ongoing war on Iran following the joint US-Israel strike that happened on February 28 and killed its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Castro underscored that information coming from law enforcement agencies in the US must be taken seriously. “Kapag may mga ganiyan na impormasyon, kailangan din talagang maghanda ang ating bansa para sa ating mga kababayan.”
She added, “Hindi ito puwedeng isawalang-bahala o tulugan, kailangan na maging alerto rin tayo kung ano’t anuman ang mangyayari sa ating mga kababayan sa California.”
Meanwhile, the Palace Official also refuted what she regarded as “misinformation” spreading around the action of the government in response to the needs of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) affected by the rising tensions in the Middle East.
Castro said the government continues to mobilize all available resources to safeguard Filipinos abroad and urged the public not to believe claims circulating online that the administration is doing nothing.
“Huwag po kayong maniniwala sa fake news na walang ginagawa ang gobyerno,” she underscored. “Ang mga maniniwala, malamang, kaya hindi nila nakikita ang trabaho ng Pangulo ay madalas wala sila sa Pilipinas.“
She also did not mince her words and directly addressed Vice President Sara Duterte, who questioning President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s administration’s preparedness for a possible escalation of tensions in the region.
The Veep also claimed that the government should have begun preparing as early as 2022.
“Unang putok sa Middle East ang ating pagkakaalam wala rito ang Bise Presidente nasa ibang bansa,” Usec. Castro said, emphasizing that the government has been closely monitoring developments in the Middle East and coordinating with concerned agencies to assist affected OFWs.
In response to ths criticism, Castro also pointed out that during the 2022 election period—when Marcos and Duterte ran together under the UniTeam alliance—that if there had been specific intelligence or verified information about an impending crisis, it should have been formally communicated to the proper authorities.
“If there was such information as early as 2022, it should have been relayed to the proper authorities so that preparations could be made,” she said.
The Palace official also added that government agencies continue to work together to monitor developments in the Middle East while maintaining assistance programs and contingency measures for Filipinos working in the region.
As of March 11, 2026, more than 110 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and their dependents have been repatriated, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
