Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac is headed to Dubai to personally assess conditions on the ground as the Philippine government moves to accelerate the return of overseas Filipino workers caught in the Middle East crisis.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. disclosed the repatriation plans during an interview in New York on Tuesday, where he had just concluded a two-day working visit. Speaking at The Pierre hotel, he confirmed that two government-chartered flights are being organized to bring home Filipinos who wish to leave the Gulf region.
One of those flights is scheduled to depart from Fujairah in the UAE, targeting a March 13 departure with arrival in Manila expected late that night or in the early hours of March 14. A second charter will fly out of Riyadh, covering Filipino workers not only from Saudi Arabia but also those traveling from Kuwait and Bahrain.
“And there are two flights that we are planning,” Marcos said, adding that the Fujairah flight will also serve OFWs from Dubai.
The charter operations come after commercial air travel had already moved a portion of the affected Filipinos. Marcos noted that roughly three Emirates flights had carried workers from Dubai to Manila prior to the government-arranged charters.
Filipinos who crossed from Israel into neighboring countries by land — including those who entered through Oman — will also be eligible to board the charter flights, Marcos said.
To support the logistics of the operation, personnel from the Department of National Defense and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines are being deployed. Marcos said the government stands ready to assist any Filipino abroad who wants to come home.
