This Naga City-based Founder and US Veteran-led Web App That Can Find Filipinos in War Zones Just Went Live

CrisisOps SAFE (Safety and Assistance For Emergencies) just went live for any Filipino in Iran, Israel, or any other conflict-ridden area in the world to let people know if they are safe through three simple buttons.

CrisisOps is an AI-augmented disaster intelligence platform that supports governments and organizations in managing emergencies through real-time data, geospatial analytics, and operational dashboards. It enables coordinated, data-driven crisis response.

In response to the Middle East escalation, CrisisOps SAFE was launched as a neutral third-party check-in and accounting system, allowing individuals to report their status while authorized partners monitor secure, aggregated insights for coordinated assistance.

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With more than 2.4 million Filipinos living and working in the Middle East, nearly a million of whom are in the United Arab Emirates, the startup's real-time geotagged, timestamped command dashboard closes the gaps and delays in disaster response bureaucracy.

In case you've been living under a rock, a world crisis has erupted after Washington and Tel Aviv launched coordinated airstrikes on key Iranian military and nuclear facilities as a countermeasure against Tehran's capabilities to carry out large-scale attacks. Iran has since retaliated with widespread missile and drone strikes against US military bases and allied territories in the Middle East, including Iraq, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Mary Ann Velasquez De Vera, a 32-year-old domestic worker from Pangasinan, died in Israel after being hit by shrapnel from falling explosives. The Department of Migrant Workers has said that 52 Filipinos in Israel have already sought repatriation amid the ongoing war.

How the CrisisOps SAFE tool keeps track of Filipinos in distress

So here’s how it works: organizations with staff deployed in the Middle East are given a dedicated CrisisOps SAFE portal that they distribute to their personnel. Staff simply open the link, enter basic identifying details, and tap one of three buttons: I’m Safe, I Need Assistance, or Emergency SOS. Each submission captures a timestamp and geolocation, instantly reflected in the organization’s secure dashboard.

Authorized crisis managers can view individual details, monitor status concentrations on a live map, respond to assistance requests, and trigger internal or external escalation protocols when necessary.

"This is our way of helping the government now that tensions in the Middle East continue to rise," Harvard Innovation Lab member and CrisisOps CEO Jason Keith Boñaga told Esquire Philippines in a WhatsApp message, noting that the app went live on March 2.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac earlier said that mass repatriation is not yet required because Alert Level 4 has yet to be raised outside of Syria and Yemen, with his agency assuring OFWs of livelihood and reintegration programs for returning Filipinos.

The government needs to work with the Naga startup as soon as possible to protect our countrymen. "We built this because of what's happening in the Middle East," Boñaga said. "We just need one partner, DMW, DFA, AFP, or even media, to help us reach OFWs and make sure they're safe."

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