Sixty-five (65) distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Abu Dhabi arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Tuesday, July 24.
The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi said most of the repatriated OFWs were victims of illegal recruitment.
With the arrival of the OFWs, the total of repatriated OFWs from Abu Dhabi since January 2018 has risen to 969, of whom 757 were housed at the Philippine Embassy while 212 were walk-in clients.
The Embassy hopes that the numbers will drop with the signing of the UAE Law UAE Law for Domestic Workers and the Philippines-UAE Memorandum of Understanding on Labor Cooperation in 2017.
Earlier, Chargé d’Affaires Pangilinan-Daquipil said the UAE has implemented measures to ensure the rights of Filipino domestic workers in the Middle East country are protected.
These measures include transferring jurisdiction of HSWs from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization; allowing Filipino domestic workers rights on dispute resolution; the opening of Tadbeer Centers that will conduct the recruitment of expatriate workers in the UAE; and assuring Filipinos that will enjoy protection mandated by the new UAE Law for Domestic Workers.
According to Embassy estimates, around 626,000 Filipinos consider the UAE as their second home, with close to 217,000 Filipinos living or working in Abu Dhabi.
