57 pardoned OFWs receive travel documents

A quarter of the 220 pardoned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been issued travel documents as of Friday, 10 January, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi issued 20 travel documents, while the consulate in Dubai processed 37, bringing the total to 57.

De Vega clarified that the repatriation will not occur in large groups. Deportees will be transported individually or in small batches from detention directly to the airport, where they will use a separate boarding lane.

The pardoned OFWs will not serve the remainder of their sentences upon their return to the Philippines.

“The UAE CID/Police will come to the embassy and consulate to request the travel documents for their subsequent deportation, but only after clearing all accountabilities, such as debts and other pending issues,” De Vega said.

The UAE government generally shoulders the airfare of deportees, he added.

The 220 pardoned OFWs join an earlier group of 143 Filipinos who received amnesty during the Eid al-Adha celebrations in June 2024, bringing the total number of pardoned workers to 363.

On Wednesday, the Department of Migrant Workers said it had reintegration programs to assist the returning Filipinos in finding employment. The DMW will collaborate with other government agencies to address the livelihood and other needs of the repatriates.