341 distressed, stranded OFWs from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain to fly back to PH

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Saturday said a total of 341 distressed and stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the escalating Middle East conflict are set to be repatriated to the Philippines through a chartered flight.

The returning OFWs were from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kuwait, and Bahrain, according to the DMW.

The OWWA said the chartered flight is scheduled to depart from Riyadh for Manila on March 14, 2026.

The agency said the OFWs from Bahrain are being assisted by teams from OWWA, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and the Philippine Embassies in Riyadh and Manama “to cross land borders and proceed to Riyadh, where they will board the chartered flight back to the Philippines.”

The OWWA said several OFWs from Kuwait are currently being assisted by government teams in processing travel clearances and land border crossings so they can reach the staging area in Riyadh for the scheduled repatriation flight.

The agency said the government has also provided various forms of welfare assistance while repatriation arrangements are being completed, including help with travel documentation, temporary accommodation, transportation support, and other immediate needs.

“The primary objective of this repatriation operation is to ensure the safety of our OFWs and bring them home safely to their families in the Philippines,” it said.

“The operation is funded through the Emergency Repatriation Fund administered by OWWA to ensure the safe and orderly return of Filipinos affected by the current situation in the Middle East,” it added.

The OWWA said that additional charter flights are also being arranged to continue repatriation operations and assist other distressed OFWs or those wishing to return to the Philippines from affected areas in the region.

The special charter flight is expected to arrive in the Philippines on March 15, 2026 at NAIA.

“Under the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., OWWA arranged this charter flight to assist Filipinos who wish to return from KSA, Kuwait, and Bahrain due to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East,” the OWWA said.

“The repatriation effort is being carried out in coordination with the DMW, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippine Embassies in Riyadh, Manama, and Kuwait, and Filipino communities in the region, demonstrating a whole-of-government approach to ensuring the safety of Filipinos overseas,” it said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News