Malacañang has defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s absence from the arrival of repatriated overseas Filipino workers from the Middle East, saying the President was occupied with efforts to address the broader impact of the ongoing conflict in the region.
Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro pointed to the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration as the proper channels for receiving and assisting returning OFWs, stressing that both agencies were acting under direct orders from the President.
“Nandiyan po ang DMW at OWWA na siyang inutusan ng Pangulo na mag-asikaso at tumulong sa ating mga kababayan,” Castro said.
The explanation came after observers raised the view that Marcos himself should have been present to personally reassure OFWs displaced by fighting in the Middle East.
Castro said the President has been working on additional programs and forms of assistance aimed at softening the blow of the conflict on affected Filipinos, without providing specifics on what those measures entail.
The repatriations have been driven by a growing number of Filipinos in the Middle East seeking to return home amid escalating danger in the area.
