290 OFWS REPATRIATED FROM LEBANON – DMW

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Saturday morning said 290 more Filipinos were repatriated from Lebanon amid escalating tension between Hezbollah and Israel.

The move was in compliance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to evacuate Filipinos “by whatever means” in the midst of unrest in the Middle East.

The 290 Filipinos returned home safely via Philippine-government chartered flight that landed at 3:03p.m. Saturday at NAIA Terminal 1 in Pasay City.

The largest batch of repatriates were composed of 233 OFWs with 13 dependents, and 21 Filipinos with 23 dependents. They were accompanied by MWO Attaché to Alkhobar Hector B. Cruz, Jr. from Beirut to Manila.

In his report to the President, DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac disclosed that a chartered flight from Beirut to Manila, with a stopover at Doha, Qatar, has been arranged by the DMW, DFA, and the Philippine Embassy in Ankara, Turkiye, to ensure that Filipinos in Lebanon are taken out of harm’s way.

“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 reported.

DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo likewise 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 declared,” Manalo said.

He also emphasized 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.

With the arrival of 290 Filipinos on Saturday, this brings the total to 903 OFW 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.

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.

The DMW, through its National Reintegration Center for OFWs, will also assist the repatriates in establishing their livelihood ventures or finding alternative employment opportunities, in addition to the free skills training vouchers from TESDA.