MANILA – Fifty overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents arrived from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday, while 69 more were expected to reach the country later in the day as the government continued its repatriation efforts amid tensions in the Middle East.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), in a news release, said the group, composed of 45 OFWs and five dependents, arrived in the country via Gulf Air Flight GF154.
“Dumating ang grupo sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 sa pamamagitan ng boluntaryong repatriation na pinangunahan ng Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), katuwang ang Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), sa gitna ng patuloy na tensyon sa Gitnang Silangan (The group arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 through voluntary repatriation led by the DMW, in partnership with the OWWA, amid the ongoing tension in the Middle East),” the department said in a news release.
“Sa kabuuan, 512 OFWs at mga dependent na ang na-repatriate ng pamahalaan mula Oktubre 19, 2026, hanggang sa kasalukuyan (In total, 512 OFWs and their dependents have been repatriated by the government from Oct. 19 to the present).”
The OWWA said its welfare officers in Saudi Arabia escorted the returnees from Riyadh to Al Qassim, where they boarded their flight to Manila.
Upon arrival, OWWA personnel, DMW staff, and the Manila International Airport Authority Medical Team attended to their immediate welfare and medical needs.
Meanwhile, 61 OFWs were expected to arrive at 5:35 p.m. aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR928 after OWWA welfare officers assisted them on their trip from Riyadh to Hail.
In the evening, eight more OFWs, including five with medical conditions, were scheduled to arrive at 11:10 p.m. aboard Saudia Airlines Flight SV862 from Dammam.
OWWA personnel from Riyadh and Al Khobar, including a nurse, accompanied them to the airport and provided assistance before their departure.
The DMW said returning workers and their dependents are provided with medical and financial assistance, food, and transportation to their home provinces under the Saving Lives component of the government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) initiative.
The DMW, OWWA, the Philippine Embassy, and Migrant Workers Offices in Saudi Arabia are coordinating the repatriation and assistance efforts in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize the safety and welfare of Filipinos affected by the crisis. (PNA)
BACK HOME. Fifty overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 from Riyadh via Gulf Air Flight GF154 on Friday (Oct. 30, 2026). A total of 69 OFWs from Saudi Arabia are expected to arrive later in the day. (Photo courtesy of OWWA)
