Charter flight carrying 442 Filipinos arrives in Manila

A government-arranged charter flight carrying 442 Filipinos from the United Arab Emirates landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Saturday afternoon amid the Middle East conflict.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the charter flight arrived past 12 p.m.  

It added that over 200 of the 442 passengers are OFWs.

"We have landed. 442 Filipinos from the UAE on the PHL Government-chartered B747-400 flight as directed by President Bongbong Marcos are home," DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a social media post that showed a video of himself and the Filipino repatriates on the aircraft. 

Another charter flight with 341 OFWs from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain is scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on Sunday, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said.

More charter flights are being arranged to assist other distressed OFWs or those wishing to return to the Philippines from affected areas in the Middle East, it added.

Earlier, 24 Filipinos were evacuated from Saudi Arabia with Singapore's assistance. 

Hundreds of Filipino workers and stranded tourists in the Middle East sought evacuation after the United States and Israel unleashed airstrikes against Iran, killing its leader and other top officials.

Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against neighboring Gulf countries hosting US military bases and those with close ties to Washington, endangering the security of tens of thousands of Filipino workers across the volatile region.

The ongoing war is a major concern for the Philippines in the Middle East, where more than 2.4 Filipinos live and work, including more than 30,000 in Israel. —VBL, GMA Integrated News