By Marita Moaje
MANILA – The Philippine government has assisted 90 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including some dependents, who returned to the country amid escalating conflict in the Middle Eastern region, as the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) assured that more will arrive soon.
In a press briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Sunday evening, Migrant Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the Philippine government is preparing additional repatriation efforts, including chartered flights.
Of the 90 OFWs, Cacdac said 33 had their plane tickets purchased by the Philippine government, while the rest had existing tickets but were stranded due to flight disruptions.
He said the Philippine government has always been present for the OFWs in whatever situation.
“And this flight is no different, especially in the context of the current conflict in the Middle East, and we welcome those who had a hard time coming home or were stranded or were worried about whether they could go home or not. So, finally, they are here,” he added.
Cacdac said that whether Filipino travellers, stranded OFWs, or even those who requested to be repatriated, the Philippine government provided them with either pre-repatriation or post-repatriation assistance, including temporary accommodation, transportation support, and financial aid.
He said the OFWs who already had their tickets and paid for them still received government assistance before departure and upon arrival in the Philippines.
“So let’s be clear, many of them still had their tickets with them, yung mga na-cancel ang previous flights, or they had bookings prior to this flight na inorder na nila. So in other words, sila sumagot ng kanilang flight ticket. But 33 of them were sponsored by the DMW and the OWWA. Now, for everybody, we gave either pre-repatriation assistance and most of them post-repatriation assistance,” Cacdac explained.
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Chief Patricia Yvonne Caunan said most of the repatriates came from the United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while others had been working in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The group included professionals and workers in various fields such as engineering, teaching, caregiving, sales and retail, and domestic service, while some are architects, designers, and in the manufacturing sector.
“I would say a lot of them are, some have contracts, end of contract now, but most of them are still employed. So maybe they hope that when the conflict ceases, they can return to their employers,” she said.
Cacdac said the youngest repatriate was a one-month-old baby, while several children and senior citizens were also among those who arrived.
Repatriation plans
Cacdac said the government is working to facilitate further repatriation efforts as conditions allow.
He said the latest arrivals bring the total number of Filipinos assisted through repatriation and related support to more than 400.
Cacdac said the government has identified exit routes in eight countries affected by the conflict, but declined to give more details for security reasons.
He said that with many airports currently closed or restricted, OFWs may need to travel by land to safer locations before boarding flights home.
“And what we do is that we provide certain, we have identified in each of these eight countries that are involved, certain points of exit where OFWs could be remunerated to safer ground and eventually flow back to the Middle East. I won’t mention these particular points of exit,” he said, adding that efforts are underway to cross people over the border of each of these eight countries.
He stressed that the logistics of repatriation require careful consideration of transport arrangements in the countries where Filipinos cross over, as there are also other groups and nationalities moving to safety zones.
He said the limited airspace in certain countries, such as Jordan, has necessitated alternative routes, including land border crossings linking Israel to neighboring countries.
Cacdac, however, assured that Philippine government personnel have been prepositioned across these entry points, ready to assist and receive OFWs as they move from their host countries to safer locations.
To accelerate the repatriation process, he said the government is preparing charter flights, which will be announced in the next few days. (PNA)
