Forty-five overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including two children, returned to the Philippines from Lebanon, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, and other senior government officials welcomed the latest batch of repatriates from the Middle East country when they arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 on October 17.
To date, there are a total of 525 OFWs and 30 dependents who have been repatriated through the Philippine government’s voluntary repatriation program.
“Since we started, mula nung ipinag-utos ng ating Pangulo, since Day 1 na pumutok ang hidwaan at sigalot…, hindi ho tumigil ang ating pag-o-offer ng pre-repatriation services and post-arrival assistance,” Cacdac was quoted as saying in a Philippine News Agency (PNA) report.
He assured the government’s commitment to assist and repatriate Filipinos in Lebanon, adding that more OFWs are expected to arrive in the country in the coming days and are waiting to obtain clearance from the Lebanese immigration authorities.
Each returning OFW was given P170,000 in cash assistance from the DMW, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and DSWD.
Meanwhile, the DOH provided them and their dependents with medical examination and psychological intervention first aid. Social workers also interviewed them to determine their needs and help them cope with their present situation, PNA said.
