Manila, June 19 -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday expressed readiness to provide social protection and other form of assistance to overseas Filipinos (OFs) and their children should a mandatory repatriation is called by the Philippine government amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

Director Edwin Morata of the DSWD's Protective Services Bureau-Crisis Intervention Unit (PSB-CIU) said the agency has teams of social workers and prepared packages of interventions that can immediately be extended to OFs who will be repatriated to Manila.

"Ready po ang DSWD. Pag nakatanggap po ng direktiba mula sa ating Pangulo [Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,], at of course, sinuportahan po ng ating Kalihim [Rex...