Thirty-four overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Friday after being stranded in Dubai amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, as the Philippine government prepares contingency plans for possible wider repatriation.
According to a report by the Philippine News Agency, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) stated that the group arrived on Emirates flight EK336. Some had airline tickets to the Philippines for vacation, while others were on connecting flights through Dubai when travel disruptions occurred.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac led a whole-of-government team that received the returning Filipinos. The team included representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Department of Health, the Bureau of Quarantine, and a medical team from the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp.
“Thank you, Emirates and the Government of the United Arab Emirates,” Cacdac said in a Facebook post.
Following directives from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the workers were immediately provided with financial assistance, temporary accommodation, and transportation support to ensure their safe return to their home provinces, the DMW said.
The arrival comes as the government prepares contingency plans for possible evacuations of Filipino nationals from the Middle East after tensions escalated following a joint strike by the United States and Israel on Iran last weekend.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea and Inspector General, said possible staging areas are being finalized for Filipinos who may need to gather before repatriation flights.
“Again the moment (these plans) are finalized the appropriate information will be released,” Trinidad said.
He said the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to update its contingency plans in case a larger evacuation becomes necessary.
“We are constantly updating them in the event that we would need to come in to provide expertise through planners when it comes to expatriation of our OFWs in the Middle East or any other conflict area if needed around the world. It is too early to discuss details of that but rest assured that we have our complans (comprehensive plans) which we are constantly updating,” Trinidad said.
Government officials earlier said funds are already in place to assist OFWs seeking repatriation from the Middle East, where an estimated two million Filipinos are working.
