How is the US–Israel War on Iran Impacting Filipinos?

On March 24, 2026, vegetable growers in Benguet watched their fuel costs nearly double almost overnight. The economic shockwaves from the Middle East had bypassed thousands of miles of ocean to directly affect the mountains of the Philippines. For those of us tracking these shifts at TIME2BET, the sudden domestic impact underscored just how deeply tied local livelihoods are to global energy markets disrupted by the joint military strikes launched by the United States and Israel on Iranian nuclear and military sites on February 28.

The immediate fallout from those strikes, which reportedly resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggered acute logistical hurdles for thousands of overseas Filipinos. Flight cancellations cascaded across international routes, leaving 768 stranded workers needing urgent assistance at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1 and 3. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan managed the airport crisis on March 2, setting the stage for a broader governmental response.

Preparation met urgency at the highest institutional levels. By March 1, the Philippine Department of National Defense announced that the Armed Forces of the Philippines was standing by to conduct evacuation missions. Following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s March 3 confirmation that the government was actively negotiating the safe removal of its nationals, the Department of Migrant Workers successfully processed the return of 399 Overseas Filipino Workers and 12 dependents just two days later. Recognizing the severity of the ongoing threat to expatriate labor, the Philippine House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs convened a joint briefing on March 11 to assess the conflict's continued pressure on overseas workers.

Diplomatic maneuvering during this period required a careful balance of international alignment and self-preservation. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro clarified on March 23 that while the nation supported resolutions condemning Iran, it deliberately chose not to co-sponsor them. This nuanced positioning seemingly yielded practical maritime results, as the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed by April 2 that Philippine vessels were permitted to transit the vital Strait of Hormuz despite the hostilities. The country's strategic navigation through the regional crisis later drew explicit recognition, with US defense official Colby referring to the Philippines as a "model ally" during a Manila forum on August 10.