Over 4,000 OFWs in Saudi Arabia Receive Philippine Government Aid Amid Houthi Conflict
Key Takeaways
- •A total of 4,049 overseas Filipino workers in Riyadh have received Philippine government assistance amid Saudi Arabia's conflict with Houthi militants.
- •The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Migrant Workers have delivered 5,496 services, spanning financial, food, transportation, accommodation, medical, and repatriation aid.
- •The repatriation of 422 Filipinos—414 workers and eight dependents—has been completed across 11 international flights, including 40 workers who arrived in Manila on Tuesday.
- •Government assistance began after Oct. 10 Houthi missile and drone strikes killed 13 people and injured more than 300, including seven Filipinos.
- •In a separate incident, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy reported that a Filipino was killed on Oct. 23 in an intercepted missile attack on the Shaybah oilfield.
MANILA — The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an attached agency of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) that provides welfare services and protection to Filipino workers overseas and their families, said on Tuesday that a total of 4,049 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have received government assistance amid the kingdom's continuing conflict with Houthi militants.
In a statement citing reports from its Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Assistance Monitoring, OWWA said it and the DMW have delivered 5,496 services to the affected workers, ranging from financial, food, and transportation aid to accommodation, medical, and repatriation assistance.
The figures also cover the successful repatriation of 422 Filipinos — composed of 414 OFWs and eight dependents — aboard 11 international flights, the agency added. This includes the 40 OFWs from Riyadh who arrived on Tuesday at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR 928.
The repatriations form part of the Philippine government's programs to support its nationals in crisis-affected host countries. Saudi Arabia, where the assistance effort is concentrated, has historically ranked among the top destinations for Filipino workers, whose remittances are a key pillar of the Philippine economy.
The DMW and OWWA have been assisting Filipino workers in Riyadh since Oct. 10, when Houthi missile and drone strikes killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others, including seven Filipinos.
In a separate incident, a Filipino was killed on Oct. 23 in an intercepted missile attack on the Shaybah oilfield, according to Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy.
— Francessca S. Abalos, BusinessWorld Online
