Thirty-six Filipinos have safely returned to the Philippines after the government coordinated alternative travel routes to bring them home from the Middle East, where ongoing regional tensions have severely restricted air travel.
The group — comprising 24 overseas Filipino workers and eight family dependents from Oman, plus four additional OFWs from Dubai and Oman — landed at NAIA Terminal 1 aboard Oman Air flight WY843.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac described the logistical challenge his department faced in getting the workers out. “Ang airspace sa bansang pinanggalingan nila ay very limited kaya naghanap ng paraan to cross the border sa isang bansa na makakalipad sila, and now, they’re here,” he said.
To move workers out of affected areas, Philippine embassies and consulates coordinated with the Department of Migrant Workers, its overseas offices, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to arrange overland transport toward safer exit points and airports still accepting international flights.
One of the returning workers, Xyrus Muncal Banaad, who came from Dubai, described the conditions that preceded their departure. “Napakahigpit ng sitwasyon sa Middle East dahil sa kaguluhan, pero ginawa nila ang lahat para sa amin. Mula Middle East hanggang Pilipinas ay hindi kami pinabayaan,” he said.
The repatriation effort is being carried out under a standing directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to prioritize the safety and welfare of Filipino workers caught in the regional conflict.
