Local authorities in Sultan Kudarat have begun reaching out to families of overseas Filipino workers stationed across the Middle East, as the province moves to prepare repatriation assistance amid the ongoing regional war.
Governor Datu Pax Ali Sangki Mangudadatu has directed department heads under the provincial government to immediately establish contact with relatives of affected OFWs, ensuring families receive regular updates on the status of their loved ones abroad. An assessment of what aid can be provided to these households while the crisis continues is also underway.
“Sa mga gustong umuwi, we will facilitate hanggang makarating kayo dito sa Sultan Kudarat,” the governor said in a message addressed to the province’s workers in the region.
The repatriation effort, according to the provincial government, will be carried out together with the Department of Migrant Workers, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and Philippine embassies once airport operations resume and airspace restrictions in the Gulf are lifted. Commercial flights across much of the region have been disrupted since late February, when US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory Iranian missile and drone attacks on Gulf states hosting American military assets, including the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Mangudadatu’s assurance comes as provincial and local governments across the Philippines have started announcing their own support channels for OFWs, supplementing national-level efforts led by the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. The provincial government said it remains prepared to assist every Sultan Kudarateño working overseas through whatever coordination is needed with national agencies.
