His Excellency Alfonso A. Ver, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, led the One-Country-Team UAE composed of the Philippine Embassy in UAE, Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, and Migrant Workers Offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in facilitating the repatriation of Filipino amnesty seekers to the Philippines.
A total of 64 Filipinos, 35 from Abu Dhabi and 29 from Dubai, sought repatriation assistance from the Philippine government under the UAE’s ongoing amnesty program.
In his dialogue with the repatriates from Abu Dhabi before leaving for Dubai, Ambassador Ver expressed his profound gratitude to the UAE government for its generosity in waiving fines and penalties and for allowing Filipinos and other expatriates to leave the country with dignity and the option to re-enter UAE in the future with appropriate visa.
The Filipino repatriates in return were grateful for the opportunity given by the UAE government for them to finally return home to the Philippines without paying any fines and penalties. One specific repatriate, who is suffering from kidney failure, is thankful to the UAE government that despite having no legal documents, their medical needs were accommodated and even had their last dialysis a day before the scheduled repatriation.
Photos: (Top) Ambassador Alfonso Ver, together with MWO Abu Dhabi officials, met the Filipino repatriates from Abu Dhabi before they leave for Dubai. (Bottom right photo) Consul General Marford Angeles and MWO officials met with immigration officials at Dubai Airport. (Bottom left photo) One-Country-Team UAE at Dubai Airport during the repatriation of the first batch of Filipino amnesty seekers.
Consul General Marford Angeles of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai also said that majority of these OFWs had previously absconded from their employers and were unable to secure permanent employment in the UAE. Notably, one of the repatriates from Dubai had overstayed in the UAE for 2,118 days. Additionally, a separate OFW, who departed prior to this batch, had overstayed for a total of 5,218 days in the UAE.
The 64 Filipino repatriates were assisted at the Dubai Airport by Consul General Marford Angeles, Vice Consul Aleah Gica of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, Vice Consul Regatta Marie Antonio-Escutin and Ms. Jo Iris Costales of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Labor Attaché Teresa Olgado, Assistant Labor Attaché Jesus Vicente Magsaysay II, and Welfare Officer Romeo Asuit of the Migrant Workers Office in Abu Dhabi, and Labor Attaché John Rio Bautista of the Migrant Workers Office in Dubai.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) through the Migrant Workers Offices (MWO) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) funded the airfare of the repatriates. Financial assistance will also be provided by DMW and OWWA upon their arrival in Manila.
