More than 350 people have been killed in weeks of protests and the Syrian government’s attempts to quell them.

Philippine Ambassador Wilfredo Cuyugan said Tuesday that about 17,000 Filipino working in the Middle Eastern country have been advised to stay away from street protests and stock up on food, water and medicine and keep their passports and cellular phones handy as political violence escalates.

The Philippines, one of the world’s largest labor exporters, has been busy looking after large numbers of Filipino workers caught in the violence and conflicts sweeping the Arab world.