ILOILO City – An Ilonggo caregiver based in Israel has opened up about the daily anxiety of living under constant threat of rocket attacks, describing how life has become a cycle of work, interrupted sleep, and dashes to underground shelters. He is ready to be repatriated should the conflict escalate further.
“Two to six times a day, we hear sirens,” shared “Matthew”, a 38-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who has lived in Israel for more than nine years with his wife.
Speaking candidly in an interview, Matthew detailed the tension gripping many foreign workers in the Middle East, amid persistent missile threats from Iran.
“Most of the rocket launches from Iran happen at night when people are asleep, up to early in the morning,” he said. “The lack of sleep is the hardest part. There is work the next day, you have to keep moving.”
Matthew works in a home for the aged and lives outside the facility, which he said poses additional risk.
“It’s dangerous if I’m traveling when the sirens go off,” he said.
He described Israel’s multi-layered alert system, which gives residents about 90 seconds to reach a shelter once an initial alarm is received via mobile phones. “Then the siren follows. Once that stops, it means the rocket is nearby.”
Sheltering can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) clearance.
“The IDF will send a message to our phones to let us know when it’s safe to come out,” he said.
Despite the terrifying conditions, Matthew acknowledged the effectiveness of Israel’s missile defense.
“The rockets are mostly intercepted. We feel safe because we’re able to reach the shelters every time,” he said.
Caregivers, he added, are instructed to prioritize their own safety during alarms, even if attending to patients.
“If I’m assisting a bedridden patient and a siren goes off, we’re told to save ourselves first. The patient’s family understands,” said Matthew.
All homes in Israel are required to have bomb shelters. “You can’t build a home here without an underground rocket shelter. Ours is the deepest part of the building,” he said.
While the Iranian missile strikes are serious, he said the trauma from the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks last year still looms larger.
“That was scarier,” said Matthew.
Matthew also commended the Philippine Embassy’s response: “The embassy has a 24/7 hotline. We message them daily if we have problems, and they are responsive.”
For now, he and his wife intend to stay. “Life abroad gives us better opportunities,” he said. “But if I ever feel that the situation becomes truly dangerous, I would agree to be repatriated.”/PN
