MANILA, Philippines — Government agencies are preparing additional repatriation flights for about 300 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by flight cancellations and delays in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following the return of another 50 Filipinos on Tuesday.
The latest arrivals brought to 84 the number of OFWs repatriated by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), working with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). An initial group of 34 workers arrived on October 19.
The 50 returning Filipinos landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 at approximately 8 a.m. aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR934 after traveling by land from Riyadh to Al Qassim. The road journey took three to four hours, with OWWA welfare officers accompanying the group and assisting with travel arrangements.
OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne “PY” Caunan personally welcomed the workers, accompanied by the agency’s Repatriation and Assistance Division. The agency also arranged transportation, temporary accommodation, airport assistance and domestic flight support for those traveling onward to their home provinces.
Caunan said OWWA had pursued alternative routes to ensure the workers could return safely despite disruptions to their original travel plans.
Coordination continues among OWWA, the DMW, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and Migrant Workers Offices in Saudi Arabia to organize succeeding departures and provide assistance to Filipinos awaiting repatriation.
The operation is being financed through the supplemental Emergency Repatriation Fund, which supports the return of distressed OFWs and the provision of essential welfare services.
The government’s response follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to place the safety and well-being of overseas Filipino workers first under the Saving Lives pillar of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Assistance Program.
OWWA said its assistance extends from helping workers abroad to facilitating their safe arrival and onward travel, intending to reunite them with their families in the Philippines.
