Dozens of stranded Overseas Filipino Workers received financial aid from the Migrant Workers Office in Dubai on March 8 as the Philippine government ramped up its on-the-ground assistance amid ongoing flight disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict.
The Migrant Workers Office – Dubai and Northern Emirates, operating under the leadership of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, assisted multiple batches of OFWs who were left stranded in the UAE due to cancelled and delayed flights. Financial assistance was distributed through the Department of Migrant Workers’ AKSYON Fund (Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan).
Among those who received support were three Manila-bound OFWs who were aided at the airport while waiting for rescheduled flights, four stranded workers who expressed gratitude after receiving their financial assistance at the airport, and three OFWs whose departure to Saudi Arabia had been disrupted by ongoing cancellations.
A separate group of Bahrain-bound OFWs stranded in Dubai also received aid and were photographed with MWO-Dubai Assistant Labor Attaché Jeane R. Mendoza and OWWA Welfare Officer Esperanza C. Cobarrubias. Workers headed to Kuwait and Bahrain were likewise provided assistance to cover essential travel and living expenses.
Filipino seafarers bore a significant share of the disruption. Seven seafarers stranded due to travel delays received financial support while being accommodated in a hotel, and a larger group of 28 seafarers were also given aid to cover immediate expenses and basic necessities as they awaited onward travel arrangements.
MWO-Dubai personnel have been conducting regular visits to the airport to monitor departing Filipino passengers and assess their welfare, according to the office.
The financial assistance comes as Iranian drone and missile strikes on the UAE — launched in retaliation for the US-Israel joint attack on Iran that began on February 28 — have forced repeated airport suspensions and widespread flight cancellations across the region. The UAE’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting all 16 ballistic missiles fired at the country on Saturday, though four drones struck UAE territory. Since the conflict began, four people have been killed and 112 injured in the Emirates.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke publicly on the crisis for the first time Saturday, visiting wounded patients at an Abu Dhabi hospital. UAE airlines have since begun resuming limited flight services, though travel disruptions remain widespread.
The Philippine government has maintained close coordination with the UAE throughout the crisis. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spoke by phone with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed on Friday to express solidarity with the people of the UAE.
