Photo courtesy of DFA Usec. Eduardo De Vega.
QUEZON CITY (PIA) — A total of 290 overseas Filipinos that were repatriated from Lebanon on Friday, Oct. 25, via a chartered flight back to Manila have touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Saturday, Oct. 26, afternoon, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.
It said that the repatriation effort was in compliance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to evacuate Filipinos “by whatever means” amid unrest in the Middle East, the agency added.
The chartered flight left Lebanon at 2 p.m. (Beirut time) carrying 233 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their 13 dependents, as well as 21 overseas Filipinos (OFs) and their 23 dependents.
But the DMW noted that the plane made a stopover at the Doha International Airport for refueling, allowing Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Lilibeth Pono to meet the repatriates on board the aircraft.
“The Philippine Embassy and the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Lebanon work hand-in-hand with the host government to facilitate travel documents for Filipinos to join this flight,” Cacdac said.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo praised the cooperation between the two agencies and explained that the chartered flight was obtained through the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Ankara.
“We remain committed to the task at hand,” he said, citing the work done by other Philippine embassies in the region—in Beirut itself and Doha—which allowed this flight to proceed.
In response to the escalating tension in Lebanon, President Bongbong Marcos had directed the DMW and other cabinet members to mobilize the resources and assets of the government to bring home Filipino workers from Lebanon.
The arrival of 290 Filipinos this Saturday brings the total to 903 OFWs and OFs repatriates and 47 dependents since October 2023.
The DMW, MWO, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) facilitate the documentary requirements of OFWs with host country authorities and assist them with food, accommodation, and transportation requirements while awaiting repatriation schedules.
Additionally, the MWO is currently providing care for 69 Filipinos residing in shelters in Beirut, ensuring they receive food and other necessities.
“We stand ready to assist those who are willing to be repatriated. We are encouraging OFWs to avail of the voluntary repatriation program. And sa pag-uwi nila, a whole-of-government approach ang nakahanda, as directed by the President, with unprecedented financial assistance and other forms of support under the Bagong Pilipinas,” Cacdac said.
In line with the Bagong Pilipinas initiative, the repatriates will receive various assistance. The DMW, through its AKSYON Fund, will provide financial aid worth P75,000 each to all repatriates, and additional P75,000 from OWWA and P20,000 from the DSWD. The DOH, meanwhile, is on standby to provide free medical consultations and psychological first aid to the repatriates and free skills training vouchers from TESDA. (PIA DMD)
