343 Pinoys Coming Home: New OFW Repatriation Flight Lands Monday

A fresh batch of 343 overseas Filipino workers affected by the conflict in the Middle East is set to arrive in Manila on Monday, giving more families a long-awaited sigh of relief. The Department of Migrant Workers said the returnees are coming from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar through a government-arranged chartered flight.

According to the report, this will be the fourth chartered repatriation flight organized by the government. The arriving group is being accompanied by Overseas Workers Welfare Administration administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan, signaling that authorities are closely handling the return process from the ground up.

The DMW said the latest batch safely crossed by land to Riyadh before boarding the flight home, with assistance from the DMW, OWWA, and the Department of Foreign Affairs. That coordination mattered because many of the workers had to move out of affected areas first before they could be flown back to the Philippines.

So far, the government has already brought home 1,420 OFWs and their dependents, along with other stranded Filipinos hit by the regional crisis. Some were returned through commercial flights, while others were included in the first three chartered flights arranged earlier this month.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the repatriation effort will continue for Filipinos who want to come home because of the situation in the Middle East. In short: tuloy-tuloy ang rescue and assistance, and more flights may follow as long as the need remains.

Source: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/dispatch/980988/dmw-ofws-arrival/story/