More than 300 Filipinos return from Middle East

OVER 300 more Filipinos from the Middle East arrived in Manila on Thursday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said amid its continuing repatriation efforts.

Of the newly repatriated Filipinos, 317 were brought home on Thursday by the third government-chartered flight, which flew out on Wednesday to fetch them in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The flight included 153 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), 114 dependents, and 50 stranded passengers.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said there will also be a fourth chartered flight this weekend.

Mr. Cacdac noted that most repatriation requests come from the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Israel.

“The priority here is what we call those ‘repatriation-ready’ because we have encountered some who have immigration issues. We help them, of course. But they won’t be able to fly out immediately,” Mr. Cacdac said.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. was supposed to greet the returning OFWs, but was unable to go as he attended meetings discuss key programs on education, infrastructure, and the reconstruction and development of Greater Marawi (Stage 2) among others.

But, Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said the President ordered their flight to land at the Maharlika, Villamor Air Base to ensure faster immigration processing.

A group of 49 Filipinos comprising 22 OFWs from Qatar also returned home with their 27 dependents through the Qatar Airways Flight QR 928, according to a Facebook post by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a group of 21 Filipinos from Kuwait, including a minor, first evacuated to Saudi Arabia arrived in Manila, OWWA said in a Wednesday Facebook post.

According to OWWA, the newly repatriated Filipinos were immediately given arrival assistance in the form of food and transportation.

Mr. Cacdac earlier said about 7,255 Filipinos in the Middle East have been assisted by the DMW, OWWA, and partner agencies through providing them with basic needs, temporary accommodation, and transportation.

The DMW on Thursday reported that they have brought home approximately 1,700 Filipinos, comprising both OFWs and their dependents since the repatriation began on March 5.

Earlier this week, OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan said they expect to close the week with 2,000 Filipinos repatriated from the region affected by the US-Israel and Iran conflict.

Ms. Caunan said this number is about the same amount of repatriation requests they have received.

The OWWA and DMW’s repatriation efforts to ensure the safety of Filipinos in the Middle East come after the US and Israel’s attack against Iran on Feb. 28 to destroy the latter’s nuclear program.

The attacks resulted in the death of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran’s retaliatory strikes against US-Israeli bases in Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Data from the Department of Foreign Affairs has shown there are about 2.4 million Filipinos in the affected region. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel and Chloe Mari A. Hufana