At the Paris Defense and Strategy Forum, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. stressed the international community’s duty to protect Filipino overseas workers, including caregivers, seafarers, and other essential personnel, who are vulnerable in conflict zones like the Middle East.
“Because of this vital service that collectively Filipinos and other Asians or other nationals of smaller countries provide to the international order, the international order has a special obligation to protect them,” Teodoro said, highlighting the crucial role of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in global healthcare, shipping, and essential services.
Teodoro warned world leaders about the potential ripple effects if these workers are forced to leave their posts.
“International shipping would be disrupted. People will line up in hospitals, not attended to properly. The elderly, whom a lot of caregivers are Filipinos, will not be cared for," he said.
He also posed a question to the forum: “If, due to a conflict, our OFWs and others that provide vital services to other countries were forced to return home or were not allowed to help beyond the Philippines, what would happen?”
The defense chief’s remarks come amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, where conflicts have already displaced thousands of foreign workers. The Philippines, home to more than 2.2 million OFWs, has repeatedly called for international mechanisms to ensure the safety and welfare of its citizens abroad, particularly those serving in healthcare, maritime, and caregiving sectors.
Teodoro urged global powers to recognize that protecting these workers is not only a humanitarian obligation but also vital for the continuity of essential international services, including healthcare systems, shipping logistics, and elderly care, which rely heavily on migrant labor.
“Protecting OFWs is protecting the lifelines of the international order itself,” he concluded, calling for urgent coordination among nations to establish safety protocols, evacuation plans, and legal protections for foreign workers in conflict zones.
