OWWA receives 1,189 requests for repatriation from Middle East OFWs
At least 1,189 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have sought repatriation from several Middle East countries, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said on Wednesday, as authorities ramped up assistance efforts in anticipation of more arrivals.
OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said the figure was based on real-time, round-the-clock monitoring by the agency’s operations center in Manila.
“This is a moving number as we speak,” Caunan said in a press briefing in Mandaluyong City.
She provided a partial breakdown of the requests as of Wednesday noon: 278 from Bahrain, 46 from Israel, 62 from Kuwait, 231 from Dubai, 246 from Abu Dhabi, 173 from Qatar, and five from Lebanon.
On Tuesday, however, President Marcos placed the figure of those seeking repatriation at 1,416, mostly from the United Arab Emirates where almost a million OFWs are based.
The statement comes as tensions between Iran and the United States worsen, raising concerns about broader instability in the Middle East.
Caunan said the requests were received directly from workers abroad and through local offices of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and OWWA.
Long process
According to her, the OWWA has been calling workers who submitted repatriation requests to verify their details and confirm their intent to return home as based on their past experience, some were likely to change their minds.
“When there is an intention for repatriation, it entails a lot of work,” Caunan said, stressing that the process involves continuous communication between DMW-OWWA personnel and the workers, including regular welfare checks. “It’s not just a matter of receiving a call and listing names.”
The agency has provided temporary accommodation to 297 OFWs and arranged land transportation for 171. Another 134 workers from the Visayas and Mindanao were given assistance for domestic flights so they could return to their home provinces upon arrival in Manila.
Caunan said the support allows returning workers to rebook their international flights or charge costs to the government’s travel fund, after which they are responsible for booking their flights home.
