Iminungkahi ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa Kongreso na magsagawa ng special session para talakayin ang tensyon sa Middle East.
Sa talumpati matapos lagdaan ang P4.1 trilyong 2020 national budget, sinabi ng pangulo na nais niyang magkaroon ng standby fund na magagamit sakaling kailanganing pauwiin ang overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sa Iran.
“I’m tinkering with the idea of calling for a special session of Congress…Ngayon I suggest that Congress even for about … bahala na kung one or two days … discuss the problems, the ramifications,” ayon sa pangulo
“If there is a thing that we would need on standby that the government can get immediately, source it from where so that we can use the money immediately,” dagdag nito.
Nag-aalala ang pangulo sa posibleng kahinatnan ng mga Filipino bunsod ng lumalalang iringan sa pagitan ng Estados Unidos at Iran.
“Kinakabahan ako. Iran seems to be bent on a retaliation which I think will come in a matter of time. There is much hurt…retaliation or cry for blood is there. I don’t worry, were it not for a fact that there are a lot of Filipinos there and it would take us a huge gargantuan effort just in case it breaks out, how to bring them back safely,” he said.
Ibinahagi rin ng pangulo ang kanyang naging pakikipag-usap sa militar noong Linggo kung saan ipinahanda niya ang militar assets sakaling kailangang iuwi sa bansa ang OFWs.
“I called for the major commanders yesterday and told them of the gravity of the situation and told them they have to start (preparing their assets). There is no such thing as minimalist view here. It’s fraught with danger and I’m afraid for the lives of our countrymen in jeopardy,” he said.
Magugunitang nangako ng paghihiganti ang Iran matapos masawi ang kanilang top general na si Qasem Soleimani sa US drone strike sa Baghdad airport noong nakaraang linggo.