24 OFWs in Jeddah to return via Singapore repatriation flight

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 the 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 the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Thursday following weeks of unsuccessful outbound flights due to limited flight availability caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, where over 2.4 million OFWs are stranded.

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 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.

The DFA advised distressed OFWs in the conflict-stricken Middle East to contact the 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 projected that the war in the Middle East is likely to continue for four to eight weeks more, citing reports obtained by their offices in the region.

The Department of Migrant Workers earlier said that it will need supplemental funding from Congress to bankroll the repatriation expenses for millions of distressed Filipinos in the Middle East if the ongoing conflict there reaches “worst-case scenario.”

DMW Chief Hans Cacdac did not provide an estimate of the additional repatriation fund, though he concurred with the figures cited by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, head of the Committee on Finance, who projected the supplemental budget may reach as high as P13 billion. However, the amount would only cover 93,000 Filipinos, regardless of whether they are OFWs or pilgrims.