MANILA, Philippines — Close to 500 Filipinos returned to the country from war-torn Middle East on Friday, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
At about 4 p.m., a government-chartered flight carrying 342 Filipinos from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, touched down at Villamor Airbase.
The Filipinos were welcomed by DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.
The repatriation was made possible through the DMW, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine embassy in the UAE, in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in making sure OFWs in the Middle East were safe.
Earlier on Friday, Gulf Air Flight GF 154 that had 134 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Kuwait arrived at 11:30 a.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 from Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Officials from the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), led by OWWA Administrator PY Caunan, welcomed the workers and gave them assistance from the national government.
