Filipino migrant workers in Israel and across the Middle East are caught in the crossfire of escalating conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. Sirens warning of Iranian missile strikes have become a daily reality for many, forcing them to live in constant fear. Joycee Pelayo, a Filipino carer living near Tel Aviv, no longer leaves her home. Each alert sends her rushing to help the elderly man she cares for into a wheelchair and down to a shelter. “Last night, there were three alerts. We received it at about 2am, in the middle of the night, and then 3am, and then 4am,” she said.
The war has already claimed its first Filipino victim. On 28 February, Mary Ann De Vera, a 32-year-old carer, was killed in Tel Aviv by shrapnel while escorting her employer to a shelter. Her employer survived. The region hosts 2.4 million Filipinos who moved for higher wages, but now face drone and missile strikes. In October 2023, Thai agricultural workers suffered the highest foreign casualties in Hamas attacks, with at least 47 killed, while four Filipinos also died.
Many workers are torn between staying and returning home. Robert Laurince Ramil, who works in a gas plant in Qatar, wants to leave. “We can find work anywhere, but your safety and life are more important,” he said. He and his dorm mates stay indoors 24/7, with work cancelled but pay continuing. However, airspace closures limit options. Others, like Salhee Enriquez, a carer in Tel Aviv, feel relatively safe due to widespread bomb shelters. “Every establishment has their own bomb shelter,” she said, noting that after years of conflict, people have become accustomed.
Financial pressures keep many from leaving. Enriquez, a single parent, supports her daughter from abroad. “If I go home, we don’t have enough money to provide for us,” she said. Her family constantly urges her to return, but she earns ten times more in Israel than she could in the Philippines. Campaigners call on the Philippine government to create better domestic jobs so workers are not forced abroad.
