Twenty Filipino workers who died abroad from natural causes were brought home alongside 321 living compatriots who arrived from Kuwait on board Kuwait Airways Flight KU417, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Their deaths were confirmed to be unrelated to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, OWWA said.
The Department of Migrant Workers and OWWA coordinated the repatriation, which proceeded despite the temporary closure of Kuwaiti airspace. Government agencies worked together to ensure the remains and their accompanying family members were processed and transported without incident.
Both agencies emphasized their commitment to returning every Filipino — living or deceased — with dignity. Families of the deceased are also being extended government assistance and grief support during the bereavement period.
The repatriation was carried out in line with a directive from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., under which the government has committed to ensuring that no OFW is left behind, regardless of circumstance.
