In the middle of the Middle East war, 12 local officials from Bulacan have been stranded and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is reviewing whether their trip breached regulations.

“Personal capacity, that’s what was stated in their application, so we allowed it. As long as no government funds were used, they would be allowed,” Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

He said 11 vice mayors left the country on 25 February, with one of them bringing along his mayor ally.

“The mayor doesn’t seem to have a travel authority. We’ll check to see if it’s true, we’ll verify it, but he doesn’t seem to have one. They left on Wednesday last week. So now they’re stuck in Dubai,” Remulla said.

The group, he added, has yet to formally seek assistance from his office.

Logistical nightmare

Remulla said the DILG is ready to assist in the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Remulla said an estimated one million Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia could be caught in the middle of the conflict, warning of both logistical and economic challenges if a mass evacuation becomes necessary.

“One million Filipinos in the UAE, in Saudi Arabia, are stuck in the middle of a war. I might have to go there and start arranging their repatriation,” Remulla said.

He described the logistics of a mass evacuation as a “million-dollar question,” noting that commercial airlines have limited long-range aircraft capable of flying to and from the Middle East.

Remulla cited Philippine Airlines which has around 50 planes in its fleet, but only about half can service Middle East routes. Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, has two aircraft that can make the trip.

“If we can transport about 5,000 passengers each day, do the math: one million divided by 4,000 is about 250 days if it is done daily. So the logistics are not easy, but if it is necessary, we will do our best to bring them back,” he said.