President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally welcomed 343 repatriated Filipinos—317 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 26 dependents—who arrived at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, March 23, aboard a chartered Philippine Airlines flight from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
The President oversaw the distribution of government assistance, including financial aid, medical support, and psychosocial services, but did not engage with the media during the event.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said many of the repatriates had to travel by land before boarding the flight due to airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East.
The arrival marks another batch in the government’s ongoing evacuation efforts amid heightened regional tensions.
“Sarado ang airspace in Bahrain and limited or restricted ang airspace sa Kuwait and Qatar. So it was a land-crossing effort,” Cacdac said.
“It took, on average, about seven to eight hours to get to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” he added.
He said 234 OFWs came from Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, while 109 were repatriated directly from Saudi Arabia.
Cacdac also thanked the Saudi government for facilitating the evacuation, noting that the country served as a key transit hub.
The government is preparing to bring home around 1,200 more Filipinos in the coming days, with two additional chartered flights being planned from the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE hosts nearly one million Filipino workers, making it a priority area for evacuation planning.
Upon arrival, repatriates received immediate assistance and will be provided with reintegration services, including livelihood support and job opportunities.
The DMW will present available job orders, while the Department of Labor and Employment will offer local employment options.
Other agencies, including the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), will also extend support, such as reskilling and retooling programs.
The government is also providing hotel accommodations and domestic flights for OFWs returning to Visayas and Mindanao.
Free bus transportation is being arranged for those traveling within Luzon.
President Marcos also witnessed the send-off of returning OFWs bound for various provinces, with transportation support facilitated by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
The latest batch marks the fourth government-chartered flight under the repatriation program.
More than 1,400 OFWs and 334 dependents had already been brought home from March 5 to 17.
The third chartered flight, which arrived on March 18, carried 153 OFWs, 114 dependents, and 50 stranded Filipinos.
The President earlier called for “bayanihan” as the country responds to the crisis and assured Filipinos that the government remains ready to assist those affected. (Argyll Geducos)
