MANILA, Philippines — A total of 110 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents have been repatriated from the Middle East amid the escalating conflict in the region, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported.
DMW chief Hans Leo Cacdac said the agency has so far provided assistance to 679 OFWs and their dependents, including the 110 who have already returned to the Philippines.
“The 679 represents the figure of those we have given assistance. Of the 679, 110 have returned through the tickers issued by the OWWA, and the DMW has issued.,” Cacdac said during the joint hearing of the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Overseas Workers Affairs on Wednesday.
He also noted that 380 OFWs are currently ready for repatriation, excluding those set to board the two flights arranged by the Philippine government, as earlier announced by Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Marcos said one of the flights will depart from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Filipinos there as well as those in Kuwait and Bahrain, while the other will depart from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates for OFWs in Dubai.
The flight from Fujairah is expected to depart the UAE on Friday, March 13, and arrive in Manila either late Friday night or early Saturday morning, March 14.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed that 188 Filipino tourists, pilgrims, and other non-OFWs have been repatriated or assisted in the Middle East.
Based on DFA data, around 975,000 Filipinos are in the United Arab Emirates, 813,000 in Saudi Arabia, and 250,000 in Qatar. The agency’s records also show there are about 800 Filipinos in Iran and 31,000 in Israel, with the rest spread across the region.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated after the United States and Israel launched missile strikes against Iran, targeting key military facilities. /dl