THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) have provided immediate assistance to over 800 people affected by flight disruptions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
The DMW said in an Oct. 17 statement that 899 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), 750 in Riyadh and 149 in Jeddah, received immediate assistance.
“Among the assistance given were food, temporary accommodations, transportation, financial assistance, and medical and psychological services,” the DMW said in Filipino. These forms of assistance were provided while OFWs awaited their flights.
Earlier, flights were disrupted after attacks, which Houthis claimed responsibility for, at King Khalid International Airport.
The Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs) in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar assisted affected OFWs “in coordinating with airlines for the rebooking of their flights and preparing for possible return to the Philippines,” the DMW said.
It also said that MWO-Riyadh was monitoring the situation of OFWs wounded in the Oct. 10 attack on the King Khalid International Airport.
“The DMW is also coordinating with the families of the affected OFWs to give the help they need,” the department said in the Oct. 17 statement.
An initial 200 OFWs from Riyadh were set to return home to the Philippines from Oct. 19 to 21 “through the coordination of the DMW, OWWA, MWOs, and Department of Foreign Affairs,” the DMW said.
