Jamaine Punzalan

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<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FOWWAChief%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02gz1GJyNnK1iuCS2o5qCtrHcotDc5dmerJ4PeYHS2jPCqi39udAv47NVc5qgJr3C2l&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="430" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>MANILA — The repatriation of 31 Filipinos from the Middle East hit a snag on Tuesday due to the closure of Qatar’s airspace after<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/6/24/missiles-light-doha-s-night-sky-as-explosions-heard-over-the-capital-1029"> Iran fired a series of missiles</a> at the Gulf state targeting a US military facility there, the Department of Migrant Workers said.</p><p>DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the 31 Filipinos were “safe and sound” despite the delay of their commercial flight to the Philippines from Qatar.</p><p>The group included 26 repatriates from Israel, 3 from Jordan, and one each from Palestine and Qatar.</p><p>Cacdac said they were awaiting confirmation of their new flight schedule after the Qatari airspace reopened.</p><p>He added that Philippine Embassy personnel were “on the ground providing our OFWs…the necessary assistance and coordination with the Qatari authorities.”  </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/6/24/qatar-says-response-to-iran-attack-is-a-sovereign-issue-1032">Qatar says response to Iran attack is a &#x27;sovereign&#x27; issue</a></div><p>The officials urged the public “to be discerning and refrain from sharing rumors and/or unverified information that would cause panic.” </p><p>He added that OFWs in the Middle East should stay “calm but vigilant.”</p><p>“I urge all our OFWs to rely only on official government advisories from the Department of Migrant Workers, the Philippine Embassy, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and trusted authorities,” he said.</p><p>Iran announced it had launched missiles at a US base in Qatar Monday in retaliation for American strikes on key nuclear facilities, with US President Donald Trump shrugging off the response as &quot;very weak&quot; and saying it was now time to make peace.</p><p>A US defense official said no one was hurt in the attack -- which Trump said Iran had given advance notice of -- and oil prices sank afterwards as traders breathed a sigh of relief at what one analyst called the &quot;somewhat measured&quot; response.</p><p>Qatar, which lies 190 kilometers south of Iran and is home to the largest US military facility in the Middle East, said its &quot;air defenses successfully intercepted a missile attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base&quot;.</p><p>Iran&#x27;s National Security Council confirmed having targeted the base &quot;in response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran&#x27;s nuclear sites and facilities&quot;.</p><p>After more than a week of Israeli strikes on nuclear and military targets across Iran, the United States joined its ally&#x27;s campaign on Sunday, carrying out attacks on three key Iranian nuclear facilities, including on an underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo using massive bunker-busting bombs.</p><p>&quot;Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered,&quot; Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the attack, thanking Tehran &quot;for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured&quot;.</p><p>Adding that Iran had &quot;gotten it all out of their &#x27;system&#x27;,&quot; he said: &quot;Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/6/23/trump-says-israel-and-iran-agree-to-total-ceasefire-0703">Trump says Israel and Iran agree to &#x27;total ceasefire&#x27;</a></div><div><strong>— With a report from Agence France-Presse </strong></div><div><iframe width="1250" height="703" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RnRrFkD9lpA" title="Missiles light Doha&#x27;s night sky as explosions heard over the capital | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="1250" height="703" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g7_c8Q1xbkE" title="Iranian state TV video shows missiles launching" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>The repatriation of 31 Filipinos from the Middle East hit a snag on Tuesday due to the closure of Qatar’s airspace after Iran fired a series of missiles at the Gulf state targeting a US military facility there, the Department of Migrant Workers said.</p>

The repatriation of 31 Filipinos from the Middle East hit a snag on Tuesday due to the closure of Qatar’s airspace after Iran fired a series of missiles at the Gulf state targeting a US military facility there, the Department of Migrant Workers said.

Repatriation of 31 Filipinos delayed due to closure of Qatar airspace: DMW

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Repatriation of 31 Filipinos delayed due to closure of Qatar airspace: DMW

ABS-CBN News

Published June 24, 2025 10:40 AM PHT

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Updated June 24, 2025 03:47 PM PHT

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