A total of 349 Filipinos — comprising 222 overseas workers, their dependents, and stranded visa holders — landed at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City on the evening of March 27, 2026, completing the fifth government-chartered repatriation flight from the United Arab Emirates.
With the latest arrivals, the total number of Filipinos brought home from the Middle East has reached 2,910, of whom 2,120 flew back aboard five chartered flights ordered under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize the safety and welfare of Filipinos in the region.
The flight traced its origins to a pre-departure operation that had to contend with heavy seasonal rains in Dubai. Roads leading to the Philippine Consulate General were severely flooded, but officials had anticipated the disruption. “We advised our repatriates to prepare for possible road disruptions due to flooding. We also prepared for scenarios wherein it could be flooded at our premises, but thankfully, we were not flooded, and rain did not pour while we were receiving our repatriates at the Consulate General,” said Consul General Ambrosio Brian F. Enciso III.
Among those who made it through the weather was John Curt Sosobrado, a stranded traveler who traveled from Al Barsha in Dubai to join the flight. “Inagahan ko po talaga para makarating ako dito, mahirap na at baka mahuli dahil sa ulan, galing pa po ako sa Al Barsha. Pagkakataon ko na ito para makauwi, hindi ko na palalampasin pa,” he said.
The 78 dependents and 222 OFWs who gathered separately at a nearby school gymnasium underwent registration and received assistance from the Migrant Workers Office in Dubai before departure. Pre-departure activities at both the consulate and the MWO included documentation requirements, meals, medicine, and financial assistance for registered OFWs.
Repatriates from the Visayas and Mindanao were given accommodation in Manila upon arrival, with onward flights to their home provinces also arranged. “For our OFWs, those who live in Visayas and Mindanao are given accommodation upon their arrival in Manila. We also facilitate their onward flight to their respective provinces,” said Labor Attaché Atty. John Rio A. Bautista.
At Villamor Airbase, arriving Filipinos were met by personnel from the Department of Migrant Workers, OWWA, DFA, DOH, DSWD, DOLE, DTI, TESDA, the Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Quarantine, the Presidential Management Staff, and the Philippine Air Force. Financial aid, medical assistance, and transportation allowances to home provinces were among the services extended.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso A. Ver, who leads the country’s unified mission in the Emirates, acknowledged the Dubai team’s work while pointing to the next phase of operations. “I commend the Philippine Consulate General and the Migrant Workers Office in Dubai for another successful repatriation flight. Tomorrow, another flight for Filipinos in Abu Dhabi will be mounted. We assure our kababayans that Team Philippines in the UAE will continue to provide the needed support and assistance, in line with the President’s directive that the safety and well-being of every Filipino in the Middle East remain paramount,” he said.
Beyond immediate repatriation, returning OFWs will have access to livelihood and employment programs through a coordinated effort among DMW, OWWA, DSWD, DOLE, DTI, and TESDA, covering skills training, job fairs, and business capital assistance.
Filipinos in Abu Dhabi needing urgent assistance may contact the Philippine Embassy at +971 50 443 8003 (non-OFWs) or MWO at +971 56 270 9157 (OFWs). Those in Dubai and the Northern Emirates may reach the Consulate General at +971 56 501 5756 or MWO at +971 56 353 5558.
