24 OFWs from Jeddah set for repatriation
Usudan said the war in the Middle East could continue for four to eight more weeks, citing reports from Philippine posts in the region.
THEY'RE home A total of 24 overseas Filipino workers were repatriated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia amid the Gulf war conflict.
Photo courtesy of Department of Foreign Affairs
Twenty-four distressed overseas Filipino workers from Jeddah are set to return to the Philippines late Friday through a Singapore-chartered repatriation flight, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced amid continuing tensions in the Middle East caused by the Israeli-United States war on Iran.
The migrant workers, comprising nine males and 15 females, left King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Thursday after weeks of unsuccessful attempts to secure outbound flights due to limited availability caused by the ongoing conflict in the region, where more than 2.4 million OFWs are based.
They arrived in Singapore early Friday and are expected to land in the Philippines in two batches on the same day. The Philippine Embassy in Singapore assisted the repatriates during their transit.
“The Migrant Workers Office and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Jeddah facilitated the booking of their flights to Manila and also extended financial assistance,” the DFA said.
The DFA thanked the Singapore government for extending seats on its chartered repatriation flight to OFWs, calling it a “benevolent act” that exemplifies the ASEAN spirit of solidarity.
P13-billion budget
The department advised distressed OFWs in the conflict-stricken Middle East to contact Philippine embassies and consulates general in their respective areas through the contact numbers and official channels posted on its website and social media pages.
During a Senate hearing last week, DFA Assistant Secretary Germina Usudan said the war in the Middle East could continue for four to eight more weeks, citing reports from Philippine posts in the region.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) earlier said it would need supplemental funding from Congress to cover repatriation expenses for distressed Filipinos in the Middle East if the conflict reaches a worst-case scenario.
DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac did not provide an estimate of the additional funds required but concurred with figures cited by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, who projected that the supplemental budget may reach as high as P13 billion.
However, the amount would only cover about 93,000 Filipinos, whether OFWs or pilgrims.