Two Filipinos were among 25 people arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for posting and sharing social media content related to recent attacks in the Middle East, Philippine authorities said.
The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai said the arrests involved several foreign nationals, including Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, accused of sharing videos and online content about air defense interceptions and attacks in Dubai.
UAE authorities earlier warned residents against posting misleading content online, particularly security-related footage such as air defense activity, attacks on landmarks, or artificial intelligence-generated videos.
Philippine officials said they are monitoring reports involving the Filipinos while respecting the UAE’s authority to enforce its national security and cybercrime laws.
Filipinos in the UAE were advised to exercise caution when using social media and to avoid recording, posting, or sharing unverified security-related content.
The advisory came as more Filipinos affected by tensions in the Middle East returned to the Philippines over the weekend.
Repatriates
A chartered flight carrying 343 passengers — including 13 children — arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City at 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
The repatriates came from Al Khobar, Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, as well as from Bahrain, after crossing borders by land before boarding the flight.
Earlier, 26 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Qatar who availed of voluntary repatriation arrived shortly after midnight Sunday at NAIA Terminal 3 aboard Qatar Airways Flight 928.
Another 442 Filipinos, including about 200 OFWs, also arrived Saturday aboard a government-arrranged charter flight.
The DMW said 1,022 OFWs and 293 dependents were repatriated from 5 to 14 March as tensions continue to affect parts of the Middle East.