Another government-chartered flight out of Saudi Arabia is set for Sunday, the Department of Migrant Workers announced Friday, as roughly 800 overseas Filipino workers across the Middle East remain in the repatriation queue.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the upcoming flight adds to three chartered planes that have already brought 1,400 OFWs home — two from the United Arab Emirates carrying 442 and 319 passengers respectively, and one from Saudi Arabia that transported 340 workers.
A complicating factor in the repatriation effort is the closure of airspace over three of the five countries where Filipinos are waiting to leave. Kuwait, Bahrain, and Israel have shut their airspace, forcing OFWs in those areas to attempt land crossings before they can reach a departure point.
“Kasama kasi dito sa hamon sa pag-repatriate ang land crossings kasi tatlo sa limang bansa na nabanggit ko ay sarado ang airspace — sa Kuwait, sa Bahrain at sa Israel,” Cacdac said in a DZMM interview.
DMW and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration officials, working alongside DFA ambassadors stationed in the region, are assisting OFWs navigating those overland routes. Workers who successfully exit Kuwait, Bahrain, or Qatar may then board the chartered flight departing from Saudi Arabia.
Qatar and the UAE, by contrast, have maintained limited commercial air access through designated corridors. OFWs in the Emirates can travel home directly on commercial carriers without needing a government-chartered flight.
“Meron na naman napipinto this weekend sa Sunday mula sa Saudi Arabia,” Cacdac said. “Higit kumulang may pino-proseso pa tayo mga 800 na repatriation ready. Five countries ang nakikita natin may pangangailangan kaya patuloy lang po.”
Beyond repatriation logistics, the DMW said it has extended onsite assistance — including food, water, temporary shelter, and transport to migrant workers offices — to around 12,000 Filipinos across the region. Filipinos employed by multinational energy firms in Saudi Arabia have already been evacuated under corporate safety protocols.
Cacdac also confirmed that legal assistance and welfare checks have been extended to four OFWs detained in the UAE after allegedly circulating videos of Iranian strikes on Emirates territory. He reminded Filipino workers to comply with regulations set by their host governments.
