60 more repatriated OFWs from Israel arrive home

The fourth batch of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from war-torn Israel arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Monday afternoon.

The latest repatriation included 60 Filipinos, according to a tweet from GMA Integrated News’ Sandra Aguinaldo.

Of the 60 Filipinos, 32 were hotel workers while 28 were caregivers.

Last week, a total of 25 Filipinos arrived back in the Philippines amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants. It was composed of 15 caregivers, one hotel worker, and a one-month-old infant, arrived in the country on October 18.

Two days later, 18 more Filipinos, including 14 caregivers and four hotel employees were also repatriated.

They were offered a repatriation assistance package of P50,000 each from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to address the needs of their families and help them transition smoothly back to their daily lives.

Over the weekend, DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said an additional 185 Filipinos requested repatriation from Tel Aviv.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier placed Israel under Alert Level 2 following the deadly attack of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.

Alert Level 2 entails restriction of non-essential movements, avoiding places of protest, and preparation for possible evacuation.

Israel has since then been pounding the Gaza Strip where Hamas is based to flush out the militant group. —Sundy Locus/ VAL, GMA Integrated News