Aiding Filipinos in Iran a struggle due to conflicting laws, DFA says

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) revealed that the government will have a hard time helping Filipinos in Iran if the war between them and Israel escalates because of an existing Iranian law.

Speaking at the Bagong Pilipinas show on Friday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said that approximately 2,000 Filipinos are living and working in Iran, some of whom are married to Iranian men and women.

“So obviously, the Iranian government has a bigger responsibility to them. We are monitoring and waiting for the final report,” De Vega said in Filipino.

According to the Civil Law of the Islamic Republic, marriages between foreign nationals and Iranian citizens are legal but require registration.

A foreign man marrying an Iranian woman will not automatically become an Iranian citizen, as children born from such marriages in Iran or born within a year of the law's ratification can apply for Iranian citizenship when they turn 18, provided they meet certain conditions.

De Vega said they are now locating whether the residences of the Filipinos living there with their Iranian families are located in military camps, which have been the target of the Israeli air strikes.

What worries the Philippine government, according to De Vega, is when Iran strikes back at Israel, in which Filipinos, around 50,000, will be in great peril.

“At iyong tina-target ng Israel, alam natin, iyong kanilang mga nuclear capabilities, ang problema lang baka bumawi iyong Iran eh alam natin maraming Filipino citizens, at least 50,000, although they have the Iron Dome there,” the DFA official stressed.

The DFA is also monitoring whether Iraq will respond and release an advisory regarding the tension.

“Only a few Filipinos are in Iraq, just less than 2,000, as we have already stopped sending OFWs to Iraq. But our officials are assessing our next move. Our officials are always looking for ways, either give repatriation tickets or provide shelters if the war escalates,” De Vega said.

He said that, unlike what happened in Gaza where civilians became collateral damage, the Israeli air strikes are targeting military bases.

“When it comes to Israel, Filipinos there are not inclined to go home even amid the war between Palestine and Israel, because they feel protected as every building has a bomb shelter,” according to De Vega.