JAKARTA - Repatriated Filipino migrant workers affected by the Middle East crisis received financial aid, psychosocial support and reintegration services in Caraga, as the Philippines continues bringing workers home from the region.
The Department of Migrant Workers in Caraga held a “Kumustahan” session for returning overseas Filipino workers on 28 April, according to a Philippine Information Agency report published on 12 May. The session gathered workers who had returned to the Philippines after being affected by the crisis in the Middle East.
The aid included psychosocial interventions, financial assistance, livelihood support and entrepreneurship training, the state-owned agency said. The same update described the event as part of DMW Caraga’s effort to help returnees move from immediate crisis response to income and welfare planning.
“Through psychosocial support, financial education, livelihood opportunities, and government convergence services, we aim to help them recover, regain stability, and start anew with dignity and hope,” said DMW Caraga’s regional director Ritchel M. Butao.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said 9,038 OFWs had returned to the Philippines as of 7 May, according to a MYTV report citing a DMW briefing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1.
A separate SunStar report published on 6 May also quoted Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia as saying close to 9,000 OFWs had been brought home from the crisis-hit region. Olalia said returnees could access government assistance programs, including redeployment options.
The assistance comes through the National Reintegration Network, which links returning workers to government agencies that can provide job, livelihood and welfare services. Olalia said the network was available for OFWs who had returned through the repatriation program.
Officials have also warned returning workers about illegal recruiters. Olalia said some recruiters were using Facebook, TikTok and other platforms to target recently repatriated OFWs looking for overseas work. He told workers to treat job offers using student, tourist or business visas as red flags.
The Middle East is still a core labor market for Filipino workers in the latest available data. DMW’s preliminary 2025 deployment table put the United Arab Emirates at 397,892 land-based OFW deployments and Saudi Arabia at 386,699, the top 2 destinations that year; Qatar had 160,890 and Kuwait had 106,364.
In Q1 2026, DMW figures cited by BusinessMirror showed 141,275 land-based OFWs still deployed to the Middle East, led by Saudi Arabia with 59,910 and the UAE with 42,243, even after regional tensions cut deployments from 273,001 in Q1 2025.
