MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continues to closely monitor developments in the Middle East following the series of airstrikes which occurred over the weekend, Malacañang said on Monday. The Palace gave the assurance as 80 Filipinos in Dubai have requested to be repatriated to the Philippines, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on the same day. In a press conference, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Claire Castro likewise reiterated the president’s directive to concerned government agencies to provide all necessary assistance to Filipinos affected by the hostilities which erupted on Feb. 28, 2026. “President Marcos Jr. directed agencies to continue and intensify monitoring of the situation of Filipinos in affected areas,” she said in Filipino. Marcos also ordered an interagency mobilization to guarantee that Filipinos in the Middle East were properly assisted and supported. Apart from the DMW, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Information Communications and Technology (DICT) were also tapped to assists Filipinos in need. The DOH would consolidate medical responses, including online medical consultations and psychosocial support services, while the DICT would ensure all telecommunications companies remain online. “Sec[retary]. Henry Aguda gave a directive to ensure that all telcos will do everything to make sure connectivity with OFWs in the Middle East is maintained and instructed the regional offices to provide free connections to anyone who would like to reach out to their family members and loved ones in affected areas," DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in the same briefing. 80 Filipinos for repatriation Cacdac said that the DMW was preparing for the repatriation of at least 80 Filipinos from Dubai but that this could take a while as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) airspace remained closed. “The airspace in Dubai and the airports are closed, we know that there was an attack in Dubai. So, we have preparations in terms of giving the 80 who need repatriation assistance — temporary basic needs assistance and shelters are available. And, then, at an appropriate time they will be evacuated to the country,” Cacdac said in Filipino. The official added to date, the UAE is under Alert Level 2. A mandatory repatriation would only be in place should the alert level is raised to 4. For now, in-country assistance to Filipinos, mostly overseas workers, is being prioritized. They include basic needs such as food, water, and shelter. “We have the necessary funds, an action fund, and the OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) funds are ready to provide the necessary basic needs assistance especially to those who have lost their jobs, stopped working or are in a distressful situation,” Cacdac said. "We have transport services available onsite for those who want to—we think they are in a vulnerable area and want to move to another place, we have shelters. Now, the shelters are a combination of the host country-provided shelters, that's also specific to some of the countries mentioned and we have our own Migrant Workers Office or OWWA shelters onsite," he added.