More than 100 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon are set to return home this week, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Monday.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said the repatriates will arrive in two groups. The first batch, consisting of 52 OFWs and one dependent, was scheduled to land in the Philippines on Monday.

The second batch of 79 OFWs and eight dependents will follow on Thursday, 11 February, to bring the total number of OFW returnees from Lebanon to 131.

This followed the recent challenges in processing the documents of Filipinos availing of the government’s repatriation program.

In January, Lebanese media reported a surge in passport applications amid an ongoing crisis affecting Lebanon’s administrative operations, resulting in months-long delays in securing appointments through the General Security platform.

This latest batch will bring the total number of OFWs repatriated from Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted in October 2023 to 1,569, along with 69 dependents.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon warned Filipinos in the country to be wary of the surge in criminal activities.

In a message to DAILY TRIBUNE, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the criminal activities were mostly petty crimes like theft.

“This is due to the ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon. A lot of unemployed people and even those with jobs have barely enough to keep body and soul together, especially if they have families,” De Vega said.