6,700 Pinoys return from Middle East
The Philippines has repatriated 6,706 nationals from several Middle Eastern posts as of Friday amid ongoing regional tensions, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the total includes 5,023 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 1,343 dependents, along with 340 tourists and other overseas Filipinos.
“That includes today’s arrivals. We have around three arrivals today from Bahrain, Dubai and Qatar and tomorrow we will have arrivals from Qatar, Lebanon, Israel and Abu Dhabi,” Cacdac said at a press briefing in Pasig City. “So we will go up to around nearly 6,900 by tomorrow.”
The largest number of arrivals came from Dubai with 2,048 returnees, followed by Kuwait with 1,153 and Abu Dhabi with 1,023. Other repatriates were recorded from Qatar (700), Bahrain (689), Riyadh (684), Al Khobar (133), Israel (90), Lebanon (77), Jeddah (74) and Oman (35).
The repatriation effort comes amid tensions in the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliation in recent months, which has already resulted in the death of two Filipinos in Israel.
The government has shouldered airfare costs for most returnees, with the DMW funding 4,308 repatriates, or 64 percent of the total, while the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration covered 2,398, or 36 percent.
Financial assistance guidelines
Beyond flight assistance, the DMW said it has delivered 30,587 services to returning Filipinos through its migrant workers offices as of the same date.
Of these services, Cacdac said 17,287 were food assistance, 4,502 financial aid, 4,369 transportation support, 2,124 shelter assistance and 2,305 medical services.
The DMW would provide $200 (about P11,990) in financial assistance to OFWs affected by reduced income, working hours or work disruptions, Undersecretary Jainal Rasul Jr. said, adding that the department has streamlined the application process under guidelines issued March 30 and amended this month to improve access for affected workers.
Applicants must submit acceptable documentation with their request, but the agency will also accept “self-declarations,” along with certifications from Philippine community organizations.
The DMW is also piloting a postrepatriation orientation seminar under its “Kalinga” framework to strengthen psychosocial and medical support for returning OFWs, Assistant Secretary Francis De Guzman said.
De Guzman said assistance begins upon arrival at the airport, with medical and psychosocial support extended through follow-up monitoring after repatriation.
The program includes skills training, upskilling and scholarships in coordination with other agencies under the National Reintegration Network, he said.
Returning workers are also profiled and matched with job opportunities based on skills and preferences, with support from the Department of Labor and Employment, local Public Employment Service Offices and other partners.
Seafarers
The DMW is also monitoring Filipino seafarers transiting high-risk waters in the Middle East.
In the Persian Gulf, 4,844 seafarers aboard 462 vessels were affected, with 495 already back in Manila, according to DMW data.
In the Gulf of Oman, 819 seafarers on 71 vessels were affected, with 20 already repatriated.
Cacdac said the government would continue repatriation and assistance efforts, including reintegration programs, as more Filipinos are expected to return in the coming weeks amid shifting conditions in the region.
