Repatriated OFWs from Kuwait, UAE receive financial aid

More than 200 Filipinos arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) over the last two days as the government accelerated repatriation efforts for those affected by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

On Monday morning, a group of 100 Filipinos — comprising 97 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and three dependents — landed at Terminal 1 aboard a Kuwait Airways flight. Their arrival followed that of 105 others who returned from Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning.

The returnees from Kuwait were met by officials from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Health.

Authorities provided the repatriates with immediate financial aid, medical checkups, and transportation to their home provinces.

The DMW said the group will have access to the National Reintegration Network, a program led by the department in partnership with 25 other agencies. The initiative offers job matching, skills training, and livelihood assistance to help workers transition back to the Philippine labor market.

The earlier arrival on Sunday included 62 workers and 43 dependents who traveled from Abu Dhabi via Etihad Airways flight EY440.

That group was processed through Terminal 3, where they received similar emergency assistance from airport medical teams and social welfare officers.

The mass repatriations come as the Philippine government continues to monitor regional conflicts in the Middle East, coordination with international authorities to ensure the safety of Filipinos remaining in the region.