65 More OFWs Return to Philippines from Saudi Arabia Amid Flight Cancellations
Key Takeaways
- •Fifty Riyadh-based OFWs and 15 workers from the Bahay Kalinga shelter arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday.
- •OWWA supported the returnees with airport services, transportation, temporary lodging and domestic travel connections.
- •The agency said 99 OFWs have been repatriated so far, while another 294 are expected home from Oct. 21 to 26.
- •Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called for a humanitarian corridor through Bahrain to facilitate the safe return of stranded Filipinos.
The second batch of 50 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) based in Riyadh, along with 15 others staying at the Bahay Kalinga shelter in the Saudi capital, arrived back in the Philippines on Tuesday, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said, as part of ongoing repatriation efforts prompted by flight cancellations following missile and drone strikes.
The group of 50 landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR 934 at around 8 a.m., OWWA said in a statement. A separate group of 15 arrived at the same terminal in the afternoon on Gulf Air Flight GF 154.
OWWA personnel welcomed the returnees and provided assistance for their immediate needs, including airport support, transportation, temporary accommodation, and help with domestic flight connections.
Before departure, the 50 OFWs were transported from Riyadh to the airport in Al Qassim, a journey of three to four hours, accompanied by OWWA Welfare Officers who assisted with their travel. The overland leg out of the capital and the use of alternate carriers such as Qatar Airways and Gulf Air point to the rerouting work involved after regular flights were disrupted.
The scale of the operation reflects the stakes involved: Saudi Arabia has long ranked among the largest overseas job markets for Filipinos, and remittances sent home by workers abroad are a mainstay of the Philippine economy, keeping the welfare of citizens in the Gulf a standing priority for Manila.
With Tuesday's arrivals, the total number of OFWs repatriated by the welfare agency has reached 99, including the 34 who returned on Monday. Another 294 OFWs are expected to fly home between Oct. 21 and 26, OWWA said.
Amid the repatriation effort, Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano on Tuesday urged the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers to establish a humanitarian corridor through Bahrain to assist OFWs. Mr. Cayetano said Manila could draw on its strong ties with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to provide safe passage for stranded Filipinos returning to the Philippines. Whether authorities take up the corridor proposal will be an immediate point to watch as the repatriation continues.
Reporting by Francessca S. Abalos; source: BusinessWorld Online
