MANILA, Philippines — Forty-six overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Kuwait and 17 Filipino seafarers of M/V Minoan Dignity arrived in Manila on separate flights Friday night, Aug. 21, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
The 46 OFWs arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 aboard Kuwait Airways Flight KU417, while the 17 seafarers arrived at Terminal 3 aboard Emirates Flight EK334.
The seafarers were repatriated after M/V Minoan Dignity was hit by an unidentified projectile while sailing southbound through the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 18.
Eighteen Filipino crew members were aboard the vessel during the incident. One Filipino chief engineer was killed, while the 17 survivors were rescued and brought to Khasab, Oman, for processing before their repatriation.
OWWA and the Department of Migrant Workers, with the MIAA Medical Team and the seafarers' licensed manning agency, provided airport assistance and other support upon their arrival.
OWWA also assisted the 46 OFWs from Kuwait, providing support that included financial assistance, food, temporary accommodation for those who needed it and transportation assistance to their home provinces.
The agency said that support would continue through its Regional Welfare Offices, including referrals for welfare, financial, livelihood, employment, counseling and other reintegration assistance, depending on the workers' needs and qualifications.
