THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that the scheduled repatriation flights set on July 27 and 30 from the United Arab Emirates are now fully booked.
DFA Undersecretary Sarah Arriola said that the next available repatriation dates will be in August.
“The UAE repatriation flights for July 27 & 30 are already fully booked. But both @PHinUAE and @PHinDubai are still processing the passenger lists for August flights arriving on August 6,13,20, & 27,” she said in a Twitter post.
Earlier this week, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello announced that the government is chartering three flights from the Middle East next week or in August.
“I am very happy to announce to everybody, especially to the relatives and next of kin of our OFWs that on July 26, there will be a chartered flight from Oman. This will bring in about 350 OFWs. We have another scheduled chartered flight on August 5 and August 10,” Bello said in a media briefing.
Bello said that the flights were made possible by DFA and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or OWWA.
“OWWA and DOLE are already working in coordination with the DFA so that we can bring home our stranded compatriots both in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in Oman,” Bello added.
The labor chief assured that health protocols are being followed amid the threat of the Delta COVID-19 variant.
“Well, like I said before they can board our chartered flights, we need to make sure they are vaccinated. And aside from being vaccinated, they should be polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tested and have a negative (result). The moment they are negative, they can be accommodated here on our chartered flights,” Bello added said.
He also said that returning OFWs also receive assistance from the government.
“They may also avail benefits coming from the National Reintegration Program of OWWA. They can avail of the cash assistance of PHP20,000 for them to start a business. If they have a child who is in college, the child is entitled to the Tabang OFW program wherein the beneficiary will be given a PHP30,000 cash assistance from the fund given by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he added.
