Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday criticized the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying she has not seen sufficient government measures to prepare for the possible effects of the escalating conflict between US and Iran.
Speaking to reporters, Duterte said the possibility of a wider war had already been flagged years earlier by international briefings and foreign governments, which she said should have prompted early preparation from the Philippine government.
“Wala tayong nakikita na ginagawa ng administrasyon. Ang banta ng giyera narinig na natin ‘yan noong taon 2022 pa lang. Nakita na natin ‘yan sa lahat ng mga briefers, lalong-lalo na ‘yung galing sa mga foreign governments na meron silang tinitingnan na posibleng giyera sa taong 2025,” she said.
She added that the warnings about a potential conflict timeline had been clear and should have prompted early contingency planning.
“Isang year lang, ang ligas kumbaga sa tuig na gisulti. Dapat noong 2022 pa lang naghanda na ang pamahalaan na ito, pero wala tayong nakitang paghahanda at wala tayong nakikita na pagbibigay man lang ng solusyon sa mangyayaring problema sa susunod na mga buwan at sa susunod na taon,” Duterte said.
The Philippines has thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) working across the Middle East, prompting periodic government monitoring and contingency planning during times of heightened geopolitical tension.
Duterte said the government should already be preparing concrete measures to address potential economic and security impacts if the conflict escalates further.
