Manila, June 16 -- Senate President Francis Escudero on Monday called on Philippine authorities to proactively reach out to all Filipinos, including the undocumented, who may wish to leave Israel and Iran amid rising tensions between the two countries.

Escudero asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to lead efforts in locating Filipinos in conflict zones and activating contingency plans for their safe and immediate repatriation.

"The DFA and DMW should go the extra mile in locating and reaching out to Filipinos in Israel and Iran to determine who wants to get out of the two countries now. It doesn't matter if they are legally staying or undocumented. What is important is that Filipinos ...