Philippine military "ready" to evacuate displaced citizens amid Middle East tensions, top official says

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is ready to deploy ships and other assets to the Middle East to evacuate Filipino citizens who may become displaced as a result of rising tensions in the region, its most senior official said recently.

AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr confirmed in an interview with local news outlet GMA earlier this week that a contingency plan is in place should non-combatant evacuation operations (NEOs) become necessary.

Brawner said that a number of Philippine Navy vessels as well as some C-130 transport aircraft of the Philippine Air Force are on standby for possible NEO deployment.

The general added that the AFP had conducted a similar operation in January 2020 when two Philippine Navy ships were sent to the Middle East to repatriate displaced Filipino citizens amid tensions between the United States and Iran.

The vessels stayed in the region for three months before finally sailing for home with a number of repatriated civilians embarked.