DFA Acting Secretary Jose Brillantes said that while a mass evacuation of the 4,400 Filipino workers in Iraq is a difficult operation, evacuating them en masse looms as a possibility due to heightened security risks.

"It is a nightmare for our security planners, that is why we are taking it one step at a time. It will not happen overnight," Brillantes said.

"Information dissemination is being intensified. We’re trying to reach as many as we can. Charge d’affaires (to Baghdad) Eric Endaya is making his own assessment and getting in touch with the Filipinos in Iraq on the safest way possible," he added.

Brillantes, however, clarified that a mass evacuation of Filipinos from Iraq is only a "worst-case scenario’’ as government is looking for alternatives to minimize security risks for Filipino workers leaving Iraq.

In the meantime, Iraq Team head Ambassador Roy Cimatu has left for Iraq to check on the conditions of the Filipino workers and assess the security situation there.

Cimatu said the Filipino workers in Iraq, most of whom are employed in US military camps, are not allowed to leave their camps as the security situation outside has worsened over the past two weeks.

The government has also stepped up the implementation of the total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Iraq and the ban on entry into Iraq for Filipino truck drivers operating in neighboring countries. (David Cagahastian)