Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who were stuck at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport over the weekend fear that they might lose their jobs because of the runway closure of the airport.
On Thursday, a Xiamen airlines aircraft ripped off one of its engines resulting in multiple cancellation of flights because the runway was blocked off.
Some OFWs who are going to Saudi Arabia are uncertain if they can still have their jobs because they were supposed to be in the Middle Eastern Kingdom by now, reported ABS-CBN. In addition to the delay of flights, they were only given bread and water to satiate their hunger.
However, Manila International Airport Authority general manager Ed Monreal said in a radio interview that he is sure employers can understand the OFWs’ situation. He also called on airlines to issue certificates as proof that it was not the OFWs’ fault that their flights were cancelled.
Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III is also urging OFWs to ask the department for assistance and other concerns about their visas.
More than 600 flights have already flown in and out of NAIA since the re-opening of its runway on Saturday
(Photo courtesy of Namzi Monzon Fernandez)
