341 Filipinos back home from Saudi Arabia
The Philippine government on Sunday morning brought home from Saudi Arabia 341 Filipinos escaping the conflict in the Middle East.
The group, composed of 328 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 13 children who had traveled from Kuwait, Bahrain, and the cities of Riyadh and Al-Khobar in Saudi Arabia, arrived in a government-funded chartered flight operated by Philippine Airlines at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at around 7 a.m.
This is the second chartered flight the government had arranged since the Iran War broke out on Feb. 28.
The latest arrivals have brought the number of Filipinos returning from the Middle East to a total of 1,116, including 442 who arrived on Saturday.
Additional charter flights are being coordinated to assist other distressed OFWs in the Middle East who wish to return to the country.
Besides OFWs, tourists had also been stranded in the region. Earlier reports said 1,189 OFWs had sought repatriation. There are an estimated 2 million Filipinos in the Middle East.
Reintegration assistance
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said “We are thankful that they have landed safely.”
He said other agencies are helping in the transition for returning workers, particularly in finding jobs.
According to him, the Department of Health and Department of Social Welfare and Development, among other agencies, have been tapped to assist OFWs with medical care, psychosocial support and reintegration assistance.
The returning OFWs were also provided with temporary hotel accommodations and transportation to their home provinces.
“There are those who come with emergency medical needs, like high blood pressure or headaches; free medicine will be given immediately,” said Health Undersecretary Gloria Balboa.
She said certain OFWs have medical abstracts summarizing their clinical history, diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes.
These documents will be used as references for continued care in the Philippines, and should an operation be needed, they will refer the OFW to the appropriate facility or hospital near their residence.
Host governments
Cacdac further noted that the Philippine government has provided assistance to OFWs in the region since Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel was struck by terrorist attacks.
He expressed gratitude to host governments for ensuring the protection and welfare of Filipino workers.
“There are countries where the host government has provided shelter but at the same time we complement in terms of providing temporary hotel accommodation […] we’re thankful to the host governments because they have provided a lot of protection to our OFWs,” he said.
Reports of Filipinos arrested
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai on Sunday said they are “closely monitoring” reports of Filipinos being among those arrested for posting and sharing videos related to the air strikes.
“Philippine officials have sought official confirmation and further details from the competent UAE (United Arab Emirates) authorities regarding the identity, status, and legal circumstances of any Filipino nationals involved,” a statement by the embassy and consulate general read.
But the embassy also said it respects the sovereignty of the UAE and its right to enforce its national security, cybercrime and public order laws.
It stressed that UAE authorities have already reminded the public that publishing or sharing misleading or fabricated security‑related content is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment and substantial fines.
