MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be sending a rapid response team to Erbil, Kurdistan to monitor and prepare contingency following the escalating violence in Mosul, Iraq.

DFA Secretary Perfecto Yasay said the RRT will monitor and assess the situation, issue advisories and alerts and engage with the Filipino community in Erbil and neighboring areas.

Yasay said appropriate steps would have to be taken to ensure that the Philippine government is ready to lead overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) in Kurdistan out of harm’s way.

The DFA reiterates its reminder to all OFWs in Kurdistan to be vigilant and always monitor advisories issued by the Philippine embassy in Baghdad.

Meanwhile, Philippine embassies in Baghdad, Ankara, and Tehran have been instructed to activate their crisis teams to prepare for contingencies in the event OFWs are transported across their borders.