25 more OFWs arrive from Dubai as Middle East war rages

TWENTY-FIVE overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and one dependent arrived in the Philippines from Dubai on Wednesday evening, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said, as rising regional tensions prompt more repatriations.

The group landed on Emirates flight EK 334 at 9:20 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City, the agency said in a statement on Thursday.

They received accommodation, food, transportation, financial support and medical and psychosocial assistance from the DMW, Overseas Workers Welfare Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development and medical staff from New NAIA Infra Corp., in line with directives from President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

The Philippine government repatriated the first group of OFWs from Iran and was preparing two chartered flights to bring home more workers from the Middle East, the President said on Wednesday.

The first flight will operate out of Riyadh for Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The second will depart from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to transport workers from Dubai, he added.

The Fujairah flight was scheduled for March 13, with an expected arrival in Manila later that evening or early on March 14. Mr. Marcos said the decision to charter these flights follows a slight improvement in regional safety.

Earlier this month, nine Filipinos were repatriated from Iran on March 10 and 11, the first group evacuated amid heightened regional instability following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks.

The strikes were meant to curb Iran’s nuclear program and pursue regime change, and reportedly resulted in the death of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In retaliation, Iran launched missile and drone attacks against US and Israeli bases across Gulf states, including Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The DMW said it is coordinating closely with relevant agencies to ensure the safe return of citizens and provide immediate support.

The repatriation flights are part of the government’s broader effort to safeguard millions of Filipinos working in the Middle East, offering emergency assistance and logistical support amid the war. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel