A total of 341 Filipinos, including overseas Filipino workers and their family members, safely returned to the Philippines after arriving on a government-arranged chartered flight on Sunday morning.
The flight landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at around 7 a.m., carrying 328 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 13 children who were repatriated amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Upon arrival, the repatriates were welcomed by officials from the Department of Migrant Workers, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and other government agencies.
Authorities immediately provided assistance to the returning Filipinos, including hotel accommodation, medical checkups, meals, and transportation to their home provinces. The OFWs will also receive financial assistance from the government.
The repatriation flight is the second chartered operation arranged as part of the government’s efforts to speed up the return of Filipinos affected by the situation in the Middle East, following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Most of the repatriated Filipinos came from Al Khobar, Dammam, and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, as well as Bahrain. They first traveled by land across borders before boarding the chartered flight back to the Philippines.
Officials said the repatriation program aims to ensure the safety and welfare of Filipinos working abroad during times of regional crisis.
