Migrante-Middle East demanded immediate food, medicine, and financial aid from the Philippine government for migrants affected by the war in the Middle East.

According to the group, the war launched by the US-Israel alliance against Iran has worsened the economic crisis that migrant workers mainly bear. The Philippine government has the duty to serve migrants during periods of conflict. Around 5,000 migrants have already asked to return home even without jobs waiting for them in the Philippines. More are expected to seek help to go home if this situation continues.

About 2.4 million Filipino migrants are based in the Middle East. Most migrants working in hotels, restaurants, food and beverage establishments, and travel agencies have lost their jobs. Many hotels in the UAE are operating at only 30% capacity, and airports as well, because of the lack of incoming tourists. Meanwhile, the wages of migrants working in cleaning agencies have been cut. Instead of being based on their contracts, pay is now set according to the number of clients and hours worked. Some domestic workers in Kuwait, Lebanon, Bahrain, Jordan, KSA, Qatar, and the UAE have been abandoned by their employers who fled to other countries. Others have been sent back to their agencies, while some are forced to follow their employers to distant countries just to escape the war.

Migrante-Middle East called on all migrants to join collective actions and voice their situation and demands.

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