The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) reported that around 1,033 Middle East-bound Filipino workers have been stranded at various airports in the Philippines and abroad due to flight cancellations as an offshoot of the crisis in the region.

At Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals 1 and 3, about 768 workers were in temporary accommodation provided by OWWA, said Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan.

Caunan said in a press briefing in Malacanang that most come from Visayas and Mindanao.

She said nearly 100 workers were stranded at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga as of Sunday, March 1, while in Hong Kong, 132 Filipinos scheduled to travel to Dubai and Riyadh found themselves in limbo. Some 33 other Filipino workers were affected by similar disruptions in Singapore.

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said he instructed authorities to assist all stranded Filipinos, including tourists.

“As long as they’re Filipinos, we will help them. Let’s help each other — all hands of deck. We are under a one-country team,” he said.

Cacdac also said the DMW has monitored no Filipino casualties as a result of the airstrikes in Iran. There are only about 80 Filipinos in Iran, mostly married to Iranians. – Rappler.com