The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday clarified that the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) recently stranded in Dubai had departed the Philippines before travel restrictions were fully enforced due to rising tensions in the Middle East.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac explained that the affected workers had flown out around the time the regional conflict began, at a point when the scale of disruption to international travel was still unclear.

“There are three days being pointed to: Friday, when the attack happened; Saturday, when it still wasn’t widely known that the airspace was closed; and that particular weekend,” Cacdac said. “Most, if not all, of the travel being referred to happened on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — those were the days when we hadn’t yet fully seen the impact on travel.”

As of the latest count, 58 OFWs were confirmed stranded in Dubai. Of these, 48 have already been brought home to the Philippines. Fifteen were initially bound for Jordan and 33 for Israel. The remaining 10 are still in the process of being assisted, with four expected to arrive Thursday afternoon.

DMW Undersecretary for Licensing and Adjudication Services Bernard Olalia said that coordination with recruitment agencies has intensified. On Tuesday, the DMW met with recruitment groups, including agencies connected to Jordan, to explain the situation and suspend further deployments.

“We requested that they explain to the Jordanian employers that our workers cannot join them for now due to the prevailing airspace closures,” Olalia said.

Cacdac added that all licensed recruitment agencies operating in the Middle East have been placed on red alert. These agencies have been instructed to maintain close coordination with their partner employers abroad, particularly in countries affected by the conflict, including Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Iran.

“We have heightened the requirement to submit mandatory monitoring reports and enhanced our welfare checks. We’ve also asked for updated contingency plans that account for the current geopolitical situation,” Cacdac said.