75 repatriated OFWs, dependents arrive from Saudi

Seventy-five overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents arrived safely from Saudi Arabia at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Tuesday.

The group landed aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR 934, marking the 20th repatriation flight under the government’s UPLIFT initiative, which operates under directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The latest arrival brings the total number of repatriated OFWs and dependents from Saudi Arabia under the initiative to 940, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Overall, interagency efforts involving the DMW, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and partner government entities have assisted 5,395 OFWs and their families.

DMW Assistant Secretary Maria Regina Galias personally received the repatriated workers at the airport to ensure immediate medical, financial and logistical support was rendered.

Among the returnees was Saripodin Saadodin Sarip, who worked as a driver in Jeddah for eight months before his termination left him without an income for nearly a year and a half.

Sarip expressed gratitude for the government shelter assistance provided abroad and voiced optimism about securing new employment opportunities in the Philippines.