DMW repatriates more OFWs from Saudi amid MidEast flight disruptions
The first batch of 34 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returned to the Philippines from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Monday following widespread flight cancellations and delays caused by recent security incidents in the region.
The returning workers arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City aboard Qatar Airways flight QR934 via Doha, following ground transport from Al Qassim arranged by government welfare officers.
An additional 65 OFWs are scheduled to land at NAIA Terminal 3 on Tuesday and the group includes 50 workers from Al Qassim arriving on Qatar Airways at 8:15 a.m. and 15 female workers from the Bahay Kalinga shelter arriving from Dammam via Gulf Air at 11:30 a.m.
The joint repatriation operation is being led by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), in coordination with the Philippine Embassy and the Migrant Workers Office in Riyadh.
OWWA administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan stated that repatriation efforts are being carried out under executive directives prioritizing worker safety under the UPLIFT Assistance Program.
Official reports indicate that current arrangements cover 399 OFWs seeking return to the Philippines.
Confirmed flight bookings have been secured for 299 workers —funded through OWWA's emergency repatriation fund and the DMW AKSYON Fund — while travel arrangements for 100 additional workers are being finalized.
Upon arrival, the OWWA Repatriation and Assistance Division provides returning workers with local transportation, temporary shelter, medical support, and domestic travel assistance to their home provinces.
In a separate development, the remains of an OFW who died in an accident in Germany arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 on Sunday night aboard Turkish Airlines Flight TK 0084.
The remains were received by family members alongside DMW Assistant Secretary Maria Regina Angela Galias and OWWA Deputy Administrators Rosalia Susana Bahia-Catapang and Ryan Vincent Uy.
Officials confirmed that financial assistance and burial support will be extended to the bereaved family through the AKSYON Fund and OWWA programs.