75 more Filipinos return from Middle East

SEVENTY-FIVE more Filipinos from the Middle East are expected to arrive in the Philippines on Tuesday, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said.

OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan said the 75 Filipinos across six flights are expected to arrive on March 17, including the second batch from Bahrain and the first batch from Kuwait.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and OWWA use both chartered and commercial flights to assist overseas Filipinos in the Middle East who would like to return to the Philippines.

“Both the Department of Migrant Workers and OWWA are also preparing for the next set of charter flights. I can speak on the part of OWWA when it comes to the charter flights, we are expecting Filipinos from Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar,” Ms. Caunan said in a mix of Filipino and English in a livestreamed press briefing.

Ms. Caunan added that the second batch of repatriated Filipinos from Israel will also join the next set of chartered flights.

OWWA expects the total number of repatriated Filipinos to climb to 2,000 by next week, based on repatriation requests they received.

Meanwhile, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said a total of 7,255 Filipinos have been assisted by the government through provision of basic needs assistance, temporary accommodation, and transport.

The repatriation is funded through the DMW’s P2-billion AKSYON fund and OWWA’s P1.2-billion emergency repatriation fund as part of the government’s measures to ensure the safety of Filipinos in the Middle East following the US’ attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel