In this screen grab obtained on February 28, 2026 from video released by the US Central Command on their X account @CENTCOM shows the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile-destroyer, USS Spruance (DDG 111), firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in support of Operation Epic Fury, from an undisclosed location on February 28, 2026. MANILA (UPDATED) — Leftist and progressive groups over the weekend condemned attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, saying they violate international law and risk a regional conflict that would put millions — including millions of overseas Filipino Workers — in danger.
In separate statements, groups that have differing ideologies agreed the attacks are an escalation of tensions in the Middle East, which is also called West Asia, and are unlikely to bring the peace that US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they would.
"This assault is nothing short of a state-sponsored terror attack that poses a grave risk of escalating into a full-scale regional conflict and triggering a global humanitarian catastrophe," Akbayan said on Sunday.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Sunday morning that there have so far been no reports of Filipino casualties in the attacks on Iran or in retaliatory strikes it launched against several countries, including Israel Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.
He also said the government will continue to monitor the situation.
The Department of National Defense later Sunday said the military is ready to help with repatriating Filipinos from the area if necessary.
Marcos Jr.: PH monitoring Filipinos’ welfare amid Middle East airstrikes
PH URGED TO TAKE A STAND
"The Philippines must not remain a passive observer to this unfolding chaos," Akbayan also said as it called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to implement repatriation plans for Filipinos in high-risk areas.
"Further, we strongly urge the Philippine government to join the international community in demanding an immediate ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table," it also said, referring to nuclear talks abruptly cut by the attacks.
Partido Manggagawa also called on the Philippine government to "declare a categorical position against the joint US-Israel war of aggression against Iran" as it rejected the justification that the attacks were "preemptive" strikes.
"Filipino workers gain nothing from this kind of war other than uncertainty, violence and lost jobs," PM also said.
Around 2.2 million OFWs are deployed across the region, according to Department of Migrant Workers figures.
Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino also called on the government to condemn the attacks, adding “the nameless ordinary civilians and workers caught in the crossfire whose communities lay under siege” would pay the cost of a potential war.
It said money that goes into war means less funding for public services.
“Every step toward a wider conflict leads to more austerity and repression that strangle the necks of every worker in the world,” the labor group said.
'REGIME CHANGE'
US President Donald Trump in an announcement Saturday said the attacks were meant to take out Iran's military and government.
"When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take," he said in remarks to the Iranian people.
OFWs return to Manila after Riyadh-bound flight diverted amid Middle East tensions
Akbayan said it "holds no illusions" about the ruling regime in Iran, which has been accused of arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations.
It said its opposition to the attacks "is rooted in our commitment to international law and sovereignty."
It added: "[H]istory has consistently shown that foreign-led 'regime change' does not lead to democracy; instead, it results in prolonged conflict, displacement, and deeper crises."
Even the mainstream progressive Liberal Party said "even the worst record of repression cannot serve as a blank check for the deaths of children" as it acknowledged the Iranian government's rights record.
"We call for immediate de-escalation, full transparency, and independent investigation into civilian casualties. Accountability must apply to all actors. The rules of war and the principles of human rights bind every state," LP, which is sometimes described as center-left, said.
The International League of People's Struggle - Philippines meanwhile said the attacks are more about ensuring control of a region that is important "particularly in global energy supply, trade routes, and geopolitical influence" than the liberation of the Iranian people.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, on Saturday, called the attacks "a flagrant violation of international law, the UN Charter, and the sovereign right of the Iranian people to self-determination".
It added "asserting the right of all nations to self-determination, sovereignty, and a future free from foreign domination" is the path to peace in the region.
Bayan, which expressed solidarity with the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic of Iran, also reiterated its opposition to the Philippines' increased engagement with the US military, including granting troops expanded access to Philippine military facilities.
It said these "[transform] our nation into a forward staging ground" for "broader US geopolitical objectives across Asia and beyond."
Akbayan and Bayan issued similar statements in January, when the US attacked Venezuela and grabbed its president, Nicolas Maduro, to face charges in New York City.
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