Sixteen overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) safely returned to the Philippines from Kuwait early Tuesday, landing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) aboard Kuwait Airways Flight KU417.

Officials from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) met the group at Terminal 1 in Pasay City to assist with airport processing and provide immediate aid, including meals, financial support and temporary hotel lodging.

Under OWWA’s reintegration program, regional offices will offer returning workers job placement, livelihood assistance and counseling.

The repatriation follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SoNA), in which he pledged to expand government programs for overseas workers, including the AKSYON Fund for rapid legal and financial support.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac affirmed that the government remains committed to protecting workers abroad and assisting those returning home.

“For OFWs, the president mentioned the AKSYON Fund, the reintegration program, and the basic necessities that we deliver onsite — all of these things, we will intensify even further, especially during times of extreme need,” Cacdac said.