Fifth charter flight brings 349 Filipinos home from UAE

More than 300 Filipinos returned to the Philippines on Friday night as part of the government's repatriation program amid the Middle East conflict.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the government's fifth charter flight that carried the 349 repatriates, which included 222 OFWs and their 78 dependents, as well as 49 stranded Filipinos, arrived in Manila from Dubai around 7 p.m.

The repatriates were assisted in filling out required forms and provided with financial and medical assistance.

"For our OFWs, those who live in Visayas and Mindanao are given accommodation upon their arrival in Manila. We also facilitate their onward flight to their respective provinces," said Labor Attaché Atty. John Rio Bautista, Migrant Workers Office Dubai and Northern Emirates.

In a separate statement from the Department of Health (DOH), the repatriates were met by Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and a team of doctors, nurses, psychologists, and midwives. 

Thousands of Filipinos have already been repatriated since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February after failed negotiations regarding Tehran's nuclear program.

At a Senate briefing on Tuesday, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said its crisis protocol covers the whole-of-government response to assisting affected OFWs, from onsite support to repatriation and post-arrival services.

"Onsite assistance covers temporary shelters, food and basic necessities, medical and psychosocial support, financial assistance, and transport services, including land crossings to flyout points for repatriation, consistent with the host country’s safety protocols and carried out in close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)," the DMW said. —with Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News