Malacañang Palace on Sunday defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s absence in welcoming distressed overseas Filipino workers arriving from war-affected Middle Eastern countries, saying the President also has important matters to attend to.

On Sunday, the Department of Migrant Workers welcomed another batch of repatriates, including 328 OFWs and 13 children of OFWs, at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 around 7 a.m. via a chartered flight.

They were welcomed by Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan, Department of Health Undersecretary Gloria Balboa, representatives of the New NAIA Infra Corp., and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among others.

“Nandyan po ang DMW at OWWA na siyang inutusan ng Pangulo na mag-asikaso at tumulong sa ating mga kababayan habang ang Pangulo ay mayroon din mga importanteng ginagampanan para ayusin ang mga karagdagang programa at tulong sa ating kababayan para maibsan ang impact sa ating bansa ng mga nangyayari sa Middle East,” explained Palace press officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro.

The OFWs who arrived were immediately provided with assistance, including hotel accommodations, medical check-ups, food, and transportation to their provinces.

The OFWs will also receive financial assistance.

This is the government’s second chartered flight as part of an action plan aimed at expediting assistance and repatriation for OFWs stranded in the Middle East, as mandated by President Marcos Jr.

The Filipinos came from Al Khobar, Dammam, and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, crossing the border via land travel.