By Marita Moaje
MANILA – The number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) repatriated by the Philippine government has reached nearly 10,000 after bringing home 323 more on board a Kuwait Airways flight amid the tensions in the Middle East.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Patricia Yvonne “PY” Caunan accompanied the latest batch of OFWs from Kuwait amid the government’s continuing repatriation program.
“Sa flight pong ito, 323 po ang kasabay natin (In this flight, we have 323 people with us) in a special flight arranged with the Kuwait Air. Meron din po tayong paalis on May 19 and May 20 papunta po dito sa Manila. In total po, 250 po ang darating ng May 19 and May 20. Sila po ay lilipad mula sa Dammam (We also have 250 OFWs arriving on May 19 and May 20. They will be flying from Dammam),” Caunan said.
“Latest tally is this brings us to a total of 9,696, which means yung mga binanggit ni Admin PY na padating (those mentioned by Admin PY that will arrive) will effectively bring us over 10,000. So anytime soon, we’re about to breach the 10,000 mark of Filipinos that have been sent home through government-sponsored plane tickets, either through chartered or commercial flights,” Cacdac said.
Caunan said she and Cacdac traveled to Kuwait on May 12 to engage with Filipino community leaders and assess ongoing repatriation operations on the ground.
She said a special flight was arranged for the latest batch of repatriates to ease their travel burdens, after OFWs had previously endured 13 hours of land travel from Kuwait to Riyadh.
Cacdac said thousands of affected workers from the Middle East have already received financial assistance from the government.
He said 25,246 have received financial assistance, of which 12,895 are OFWs “still there on-site whose work has been affected in some way.”
“Work disruption, bawas ng working hours, bawas ng take-home pay, bawas ng shifts sa pagtrabaho, bawas sa OT (reduction of working hours, reduction in take-home pay, reduction of shifts at work, reduction in over-time) in some way,” he said.
Cacdac said affected OFWs who opted not to be repatriated received USD200 in aid from DMW, while returning workers were provided an additional PHP10,000 upon arrival in the Philippines.
Caunan said the OWWA separately granted PHP10,000 in financial assistance upon landing, along with hotel accommodations, transportation support and domestic flight tickets for workers returning to their provinces.
For active OWWA members, she said the agency also offers livelihood assistance worth PHP20,000 through its “Balik-Pinas, Balik-Hanapbuhay” program.
“Ito yung pasimula na capital na pwede nilang gamitin sa kanilang negosyo o sa paghahanap ng trabaho (This is the initial capital that they can use for their business or for job hunting),” Caunan said.
Cacdac said the government’s support goes beyond cash aid, as the DMW is also intensifying its reintegration programs, including job facilitation, livelihood facilitation and endorsement for skills training and upskilling, in coordination with partner agencies.
He said the DMW has already identified at least 200,000 local job orders that may match the profiles of returning OFWs.
He said agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority are helping provide employment and retraining opportunities.
Cacdac said that during their Kuwait visit, they conducted site visits to check on Filipino workers in various sectors, including healthcare and construction, meeting about 200 Filipino health workers in a hospital in Kuwait City and later visited 144 Filipino construction workers stationed near the Saudi-Kuwait border.
He assured that as more OFWs continue to seek repatriation, the Philippine government will maintain its whole-of-government approach, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives, to ensure returning Filipinos receive immediate assistance and long-term reintegration support. (PNA)
