Activation of presidential preparedness team urged amid MidEast tensions


ACTS OFW party-list Representative Aniceto "John" Bertiz III on Thursday pushed for the activation of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Team (PMEPT) in light of the rising tensions in the Gulf region.
In a statement, Bertiz expressed concern over the recent developments in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia where the government has arrested members of the royal family in pursuit of its anti-corrupt drive.
“Our national interest lies with maintaining good relations with our allies in the Gulf region while ensuring the protection and welfare of millions of Filipino workers in the Middle East," he said.
"The activation of the [Philippine] Middle East Preparedness Team would help the national leadership draw up an appropriate plan to attain this objective,” Bertiz added.
The PMEPT was created in 2002 through an executive order issued by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to "prepare the appropriate responses, formulate policies, develop modes for coordination, put into effect all plans approved by the President and monitor their implementation accordingly" amid the critical developments in the Middle East, where the bulk of over 2 million OFWs are.
Bertiz said former military chief of staff and now Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, who concurrently heads the PMEPT, has enough experience and track record to review and update existing contingency plans and see possible security and economic risks that may impact Filipino workers in the Middle East.
He said the activation of the PMEPT will not affect much of Cimatu's time, given that the contingency plans are already set up.
Aside from this, Bertiz suggested that expansion of the composition of the PMEPT to include a representative from the National Economic Development Authority.
He added that the PMEPT should also see how the rising tensions in the Gulf region may possibly affect oil prices, which may also affect domestic prices in the long run.
“While we all continue to pray for peace and keep advising our workers to stay calm and focus on their work, it is to the nation’s interest to make sure that the government is well-prepared for any eventuality. The activation of the PMEPT is a cautious step toward that direction,” Bertiz said.
“In fact, the work of the PMEPT will make it easier for the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) to focus on the ASEAN Summit and on its core functions of serving Filipinos here and abroad," he added. —Erwin Colcol/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

In Cairo, senior Hamas officials discuss hostage deal with Egyptian intelligence chief ---By TOI STAFF, AGENCIES and LAZAR BERMAN

Delegation said led by terror group’s Qatar-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh; Wall Street Journal reports Hamas demanding 150 security prisoners for each female soldier A delegation of senior Hamas officials arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials on a possible deal that would see the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. The delegation was led by Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, and included senior members Mousa Abu Marzook and Khalil al-Hayya, the Qatar-based Al-Araby news outlet reported, citing an unnamed Egyptian source. The Hamas officials met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, to discuss the details of a hostage deal proposal that was presented to the Gaza terror group earlier this week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The outline of the deal was drawn up during a meeting in Paris last week in the presence of Israeli and US officials, as well as Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, a
Read more

Biden said set to make push for demilitarized Palestinian state as part of new doctrine ---By LAZAR BERMAN

New York Times’ Thomas Friedman, who’s close to the US administration, says emerging doctrine would include Saudi-Israeli normalization, 2-state solution, and campaign against Iran US President Joe Biden’s administration is homing in on a new doctrine involving an unprecedented push to immediately advance the creation of a demilitarized but viable Palestinian state, The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman reported on Thursday. The plan, Friedman wrote, “would involve some form of US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that would come into being only once Palestinians had developed a set of defined, credible institutions and security capabilities to ensure that this state was viable and that it could never threaten Israel.” White House officials “have been consulting experts inside and outside the US government about different forms this recognition of Palestinian statehood might take,” revealed Friedman. What he termed the new “Biden Doctrin
Read more