A government-chartered flight organised by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration is set to carry 341 distressed and stranded overseas Filipino workers back to the Philippines, as Manila continues its repatriation push amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
The flight is scheduled to depart Riyadh on March 14, with the aircraft expected to land at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 15. OWWA personnel and a medical team will be on board to provide immediate assistance upon arrival.
Workers from Bahrain and Kuwait face additional logistical hurdles before they can board the chartered flight. Government teams from OWWA, the Department of Migrant Workers, and Philippine embassies in Riyadh and Manama are assisting Bahrain-based OFWs in crossing land borders to reach the staging area in the Saudi capital. Kuwait-based workers, separately, are being helped with travel clearances and border crossing procedures for the same purpose.
While awaiting repatriation, the OFWs are receiving welfare support that includes temporary accommodation, transport, and help with travel documentation.
The operation is being funded through OWWA’s Emergency Repatriation Fund, with the agency acting on a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. The Departments of Migrant Workers and Foreign Affairs, along with Philippine embassies in Riyadh, Manama, and Kuwait City, are coordinating the effort alongside Filipino community organisations in the three countries.
OWWA has said additional charter flights are being planned to continue repatriation operations for other distressed workers in the affected areas of the region.
