Repatriation of 31 Pinoys from Middle East delayed after suspension of Qatar airspace — DMW

The repatriation of 31 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Middle East supposedly on Tuesday morning was delayed due to the temporary suspension of Qatari air traffic after Iran attacked a US military base in Doha, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said. 

Despite this, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said that the 31 OFWs — 26 of whom from Israel, three from Jordan, one from Palestine, and one from Qatar — are all “safe and sound.” 

Cacdac, who was with the affected OFWs, said that the Qatari airspace has already opened, and they are now awaiting confirmation of the new schedule of their flight.   

“Our officials and personnel from the Philippine Embassy are on the ground providing our OFWs, who availed the repatriation program of our government as mandated by our President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the necessary assistance and coordination with the Qatari authorities,” the DMW chief said in a statement. 

“For the families of the repatriated OFWs, please be assured that we are actively working to finalize new flight arrangements,” he added. 

Cacdac also called on OFWs in the Middle East to be “calm but vigilant,” reiterating the call of the Qatari Ministry to refrain from sharing rumors and/or unverified information that would cause panic.

He said the OFWs should rely only on official government advisories from the DWM, the Philippine Embassy, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and trusted authorities.

No Filipinos were hurt in Qatar after Iran launched air strikes on an American military base on Monday night, the Philippine Embassy in Qatar said, citing Qatar government's announcement that there were no casualties following the strike.

Iran launched missiles at the US' Al-Udeid Air Base located southwest of Doha on Monday night, in retaliation to the US' bombing of its nuclear sites over the weekend. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News