INAMIN ni Pangulong Duterte na kinakabahan siya sa napipintong gera sa pagitan ng Amerika at Iran, kasabay ng panawagan sa Kongreso para sa isang special session para paghandaan ang pagpapalikas sa mga Pinoy na nasa Middle East.
“There is an evolving crisis somewhere. We do not know what would be the end result of this crisis. It could lead to a protracted war. It could be a wide-scale strife. But whatever it is we Filipinos are really in great peril,” sabi ni Duterte sa kanyang talumpati matapos pirmahan ang P4.1 trilyong budget para sa 2020.
“We have so many Filipinos working mainly in the Middle East. Kinakabahan ako. Iran seems to be hell-bent on a retaliation, which I think will come. It’s a matter of time. There is much hurt and even the loss of lives in the Arabic world. And retaliation or the cry for blood is there,” ayon pa kay Duterte.
Idinagdag ni Duterte na napakalaki ng kailangang gawin para matiyak ang kaligtasan ng mga Pinoy sa Middle East.
“So here you are. I was tinkering with the idea of calling a special session of Congress,” Duterte added.
Sinabi pa ni Duterte na nagpatawag na siya ng pagpupulong ng National Security Council para talakayin ang sitwasyon.
“…And told them that they have to start even the deployment itself. It just cannot — there is no such thing as a minimalist view here. It’s fraught with danger. And I am afraid of the so many lives of our countrymen in jeopardy in that place,” ayon pa kay Duterte.
Ayon pa kay Duterte, tiniyak sa kanya ni Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez na napakaraming pondo para magamit sa repatriation ng mga Pinoy.
“And since we had the money. If it spells the difference between the life and death of Filipinos, Sonny Domiguez says we have the money,” dagdag ni Duterte.
Sinabi pa ni Duterte na kailangan na ang standby fund para sa pagpapauwi ng mga Pinoy.
“Maybe Iran, rather, would go for a more bloody nose. And there’s only one there. It could be Saudi Arabia. Striking Iraq would not — it would not make anything out of it. Ang problema is there is two countries that are really — which is the apple of the eye the Iranians — it’s the Israel and Saudi Arabia,” ayon pa kay Duterte.