A representative from the Philippines’ Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) is set to fly to Saudi Arabia to assist in the evacuation of Overseas Filipino Workers based in the Kingdom.
OWWA’s administrator Hans Leo Cacdac is scheduled to go to the Kingdom to personally assist in the repatriation of Filipinos amid the rising tensions in the Middle East.
The move is part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to send officials and naval ships to evacuate OFWs currently in the Middle East, especially those who have requested for repatriation in countries like Iraq and Libra.
In a report by Arab News, he said it was a “sacred mission” to rescue Filipinos in the region amid the tension, saying that “that is not a joke.”
The vessels he sent have 130 crew members each, as well as over 100 medical and repair personnel for support.
The tension in the region escalated when top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike. Iran retaliated by launching missiles at a US airbase in Iraq.
