DMW: 4,241 Filipinos repatriated so far amid Middle East crisis

Over 4,200 overseas Filipinos have been brought home to the Philippines following the arrival Friday of the seventh batch of repatriates from the Middle East as the conflict between US-Israeli forces and Iran continues to drag on, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac reported a total of 4,241 repatriates brought home by the Philippine government with the arrival of a fresh batch of 344 returning Filipinos from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday afternoon.

"Patuloy lang natin isasagawa ito as long as may mga Pilipinong nagnanais umuwi, lalo na mga OFWs sa ating Mahal na Bayan," Cacdac said in an interview with Radio Television Malacañang (RTV).

(We will continue to do this as long as there are Filipinos, especially OFWs, who wish to come home to our beloved country.)

The repatriates traveled on board flight TVR 7737, which departed from Abu Dhabi International Airport and landed at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City.

Staff from the DMW and the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration (OWWA), among others, welcomed the Filipinos upon their arrival.

Cacdac said that over the Holy Week, nearly 1,000 Filipinos have received repatriation assistance from the Philippine government.

More repatriation flights expected in the coming days, the DMW chief said.

Meanwhile, OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said her office's support extends to post-repatriation assistance, such as helping Filipinos reach their hometowns and reintegrate with life in the Philippines.

"Nagbibigay kami ng repatriation flights pabalik ng Maynila, post-repatriation services, domestic flights sa probinsya, land transportation assistance, hotel accommodation, meals, may financial assistance tayong binibigay," she shared.

(We are providing repatriation flights back to Manila, post-repatriation services, domestic flights to the provinces, land transportation assistance, hotel accommodation, meals, and flight assistance.)

"Pagdating sa mga regions, para sa mga OWWA members, mayroon tayong livelihood assistance, start-up capital, mayroon tayong training assistance... Patuloy na tutulong ang pamahalaan," she added.

(With regard to support in the regions for OWWA members, we have livelihood assistance, start-up capital, and we also have training assistance… The government will continue to help.)

According to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) data gathered by GMA News Research, over 2.4 million Filipinos are in the Middle East as of March 1, 2026.

Bulk of these Filipinos are in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with populations of 975,000 and 813,000, respectively.

Amid the ongoing conflict, some Filipinos opt to stay in the region to continue supporting their families in the Philippines.

Volunteers

Meanwhile, the DMW acknowledged the contributions of volunteers of the Filipino SocialClub (FILSOC) in assisting and helping process repatriates from the United Arab Emirates.

The department shared a Facebook post of FILSOC, which showed its member-volunteers in the UAE providing services to Filipinos from Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

"Todo-assist ang ating mga FILSOC Volunteers kasama ang DMW at Konsulado para masiguro ang maayos na proseso. Sila ang naka-duty sa pag-check ng listahan sa bus, pagtimbang ng bagahe, at pag-abot ng pagkain mula sa MWO," the FILSOC post read.

(FILSOC Volunteers are working all-out with the DMW and the Consulate to ensure that the process is done in an orderly manner. They are on duty to check bus manifests, weigh baggage, and distribute food from the Migrant Workers Office.)

— VDV, GMA Integrated News