138 Filipinos arrive home from UAE, Qatar amid Mideast unrest

A total of 138 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 59 of their dependents from United Arab Emirates and Qatar arrived in the country on Friday night as part of the government's repatriation efforts amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Saturday.

In a Facebook post, the DMW said the repatriated OFWs and dependents arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 via two flights, one from Dubai via Emirates Flight EK334 carrying 112 OFWs and 44 dependents, and one from Doha, Qatar via Qatar Airways Airways Flight QR928 with 26 OFWs and 15 dependents on board.

The DMW said Migrant Workers Offices and the Department of Foreign Affairs through the Philippine Embassy, assisted the repatriation process of the repatriated Filipinos.

They were welcomed by personnel of the DMW, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

The repatriated Filipinos were immediately given medical and financial assistance, temporary shelter, and free transportation going back to their home provinces upon their arrival.

The DMW said the government continues to support the reintegration of returning OFWs through the Balikbayang Manggagawa: National Reintegration Network (NRN), which helps in job placement and extends livelihood assistance, skills training, and medical and psychosocial support to ensure a smooth restart for the country.