Chartered flights bringing home overseas Filipino workers from the Gulf region will continue under direct orders from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with the government also moving to address the domestic fallout from rising fuel costs tied to the Middle East conflict.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto confirmed Wednesday that the President has instructed relevant agencies to keep the repatriation operations running without interruption. “The instruction of the President is clear. To keep the humanitarian airlift going,” Recto said, adding that the Department of Migrant Workers is proceeding with scheduled flights.
The most recently completed operation, a mercy flight on March 15, returned 343 OFWs and their dependents from Riyadh, Al Khobar, and Bahrain. Government data shows close to 1,100 Filipinos have been brought home through arranged flights so far, some of them medical evacuations for those requiring urgent care. Evacuation efforts remain active in Israel, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
Recto said funding is drawn from the PHP2-billion AKSYON Fund under the DMW, which he said is sufficient to sustain operations despite the high cost of chartered flights. Returning workers receive food, temporary shelter, psychosocial support, and medical services upon arrival. Another chartered flight is being arranged before the end of March.
On the reintegration side, Recto said agencies have begun opening employment channels for repatriates. Among these is a DMW-Department of Education tie-up that allows qualified returning teachers to be hired in public schools. He framed the workforce as a potential solution to labor shortages. “They can address the technical deficit industry and government are facing,” he said.
Separately, Recto convened agency heads on March 16 to fast-track relief measures targeting the impact of climbing fuel prices on local transport and food supply. He directed the Department of Budget and Management to speed up the release of cash assistance for transport drivers under the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program, and ordered the Department of Transportation to widen the Libreng Sakay program for commuters.
The meeting also covered toll fee discounts for public utility vehicles, reductions in select aviation charges to bring down airline costs, and instructions to the Department of Agriculture to stabilize rice prices while scaling up support for farmers and fisherfolk.
Cabinet officials present included DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., and DBM Secretary Rolando Toledo.Marcos orders more charter flights to bring home OFWs from Middle East conflict zones
