Cheyenne Suarez

800 Filipinos still seeking repatriation; 4th PH chartered flight to leave Sunday

Article (news)

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

A total of 800 overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East are still seeking repatriation, with the Philippine government chartering another flight from Saudi Arabia this weekend, the Department of Migrant Workers said Friday.DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said a total of 12,000 Filipinos in the Middle East have been given onsite assistance including those stranded in hotels, those needing food, water and other basic needs, and those seeking temporary accommodation or transportation to migrant workers offices.A major component of DMW assistance is the repatriation flights, which saw 1,400 OFWs coming home via 3 chartered planes by the Philippine government. Cacdac said two chartered flights from the United Arab Emirates carried 442 and 319 OFWs respectively while a chartered flight in Saudi Arabia brought home 340 OFWs.“Meron na naman napipinto this weekend sa Sunday mula sa Saudi Arabia,” the DMW chief said in a DZMM interview.“Higit kumulang may pino-proseso pa tayo mga 800 na repatriation ready. Five countries ang nakikita natin may pangangailangan kaya patuloy lang po. Kasama kasi dito sa hamon sa pag-repatriate ang land crossings kasi tatlo sa limang bansa na nabanggit ko ay sarado ang airspace - sa Kuwait, sa Bahrain at sa Israel,” he said.Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have allowed limited commercial flights via air corridors, he said.Officials of the DMW and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, with the help of DFA ambassadors on the ground, have been assisting OFWs doing land crossings in Kuwait, Bahrain and Israel. OFWs who make it out of Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar can then board the chartered flight in Saudi Arabia.Filipinos who want to leave the UAE can go straight home via commercial flights.Filipinos working for multinational energy companies in Saudi Arabia have already been evacuated as part of safety, security and evacuation protocols.Cacdac said Philippine authorities have extended legal assistance and conducted welfare checks on 4 OFWs detained in UAE for allegedly spreading videos of Iranian attacks in the Emirates. He urged OFWs to follow host country protocols.

A total of 800 overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East are still seeking repatriation, with the Philippine government chartering another flight from Saudi Arabia this weekend, the Department of Migrant Workers said Friday.

A total of 800 overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East are still seeking repatriation, with the Philippine government chartering another flight from Saudi Arabia this weekend, the Department of Migrant Workers said Friday.