500 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia expected to return home in coming days — DMW

About 500 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia are expected to return to the Philippines within the next five to six days, while hundreds more remain dependent on government assistance as flight disruptions delay their departure, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said Thursday.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has helped about 200 Filipinos return home through alternative routes after Riyadh-Manila flights were canceled.

“We have around 200 who have returned home whom we helped because the Riyadh-Manila flight has been canceled, so we are helping our fellow Filipinos return through other routes,” Cacdac said in a radio interview.

The agency has provided financial assistance to 1,700 Filipinos who have yet to return home to cover basic necessities, including food and water. Nearly 1,000 Filipinos whose airport jobs were disrupted have also received assistance, he said.

Cacdac said the government was continuing to monitor the situation across western, central and eastern Saudi Arabia.

Filipinos scheduled to fly from Riyadh to Manila should confirm their flight status before leaving for the airport, Cacdac said, warning that flights might not proceed as scheduled.

“Do not plan to go to the airport until there is official confirmation on whether the flight will proceed,” Cacdac said.

The DMW has not imposed a deployment ban on Filipino workers bound for Saudi Arabia, saying the situation has not yet warranted such a restriction.

Meanwhile, Cacdac said conditions in France and Italy had calmed and police maintained a visible presence in major cities.

“We are calm in the sense that there are no more riots, no more looting, no more disturbances, and the police have made a very visible presence in the major cities in Italy and in Paris,” Cacdac said.

The DMW has opened helplines and is coordinating with Filipino community leaders and Philippine consular officials in Milan to identify Filipinos who may need assistance, including those affected by business closures.

As of Thursday, the agency had received no reports of Filipinos being adversely affected by the unrest in France and Italy or taking part in the disturbances.