(Photo courtesy of OWWA)
MANILA – Another 50 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday, October 20, bringing the total number of repatriated workers to 84 amid ongoing regional tensions.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said the second batch arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 around 8 a.m. aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR934.
Their arrival followed the repatriation of 34 OFWs on Monday, October 19.
OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan personally welcomed the returning workers and confirmed that approximately 300 more Filipinos are awaiting repatriation arrangements.
Caunan said the government arranged alternative travel routes after flight cancellations and delays disrupted air travel from Riyadh.
To facilitate their return, OWWA coordinated a three- to four-hour land journey from Riyadh to Al Qassim, with welfare officers from the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) accompanying the workers.
“Sa panahon ng krisis, kailangang maramdaman ng ating mga OFW na may malalapitan sila at may agad na kikilos para sa kanilang kaligtasan,” Caunan said.
Upon arrival, the returning OFWs received transportation assistance, temporary accommodation, and domestic flight arrangements for those traveling to their home provinces.
Meanwhile, OWWA and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) are coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the MWO in Saudi Arabia to arrange succeeding repatriation flights for the remaining 300 workers.
Caunan said the operation follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize the safety and welfare of Filipino migrant workers under the Saving Lives component of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Assistance Program.
The repatriation efforts are being financed through OWWA’s supplemental Emergency Repatriation Fund.
OWWA assured affected OFWs that government assistance would continue while arrangements for their safe return are being finalized.
