84% of returning OFWs from Middle East want to go back abroad — DMW

A large majority of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have returned to the country amid tensions in the Middle East intend to work abroad again, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said Thursday.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Cacdac said that 84% of the repatriated OFWs are still hoping for overseas employment based on information they provided ahead of their arrival in the Philippines.

"Batay doon sa entry survey... 84% of them are still hoping for overseas employment. Of that figure, mayroon around 50%, 50-50, 'yung puwede pang bumalik sa pinanggalingan," he said.

(Based on the entry survey... 84% of them are still hoping for overseas employment. Of that figure, around 50%, 50-50, can still return to where they came from.)

"Sila ay bibigyan ng puwang na... pagkakataon na makabalik through facilitated 'yung clearances nila pabalik dahil kasi may valid employment visas pa sila pabalik ng bansa," he added.

(They will be given the opportunity to return through facilitated processing of their clearances because they still have valid employment visas to return to the country where they worked.)

Meanwhile, he said that there are 200,000 job orders prepared in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America for the OFWs who wish to change their jobs or location of employment.

"Nakaabang 'yan. Alam natin 'yung skills nila kasi may survey form nga… ng skill sets ng mga nanunumbalik so naghanap tayo ng job orders na katumbas ng skill sets nila," he said.

(That is ready. We know their skills because there was a survey form… of the skill sets of those returning, so we looked for job orders that match their skill sets.)

In a recent interview with GMA News Online in Dubai, Cacdac said the government is prioritizing 200,000 job placements elsewhere in the world for Filipino workers displaced by the Middle East crisis.

He said job fairs may be held to help these Filipinos explore job opportunities in other countries.

The DMW chief has also reported a drop on OFW deployment as many were backing out from jobs amid the Middle East crisis.

EXPLAINER: What gov't assistance awaits returning OFWs from Middle East?

Meanwhile, Cacdac told Super Radyo dzBB that a national reintegration network is available for OFWs.

Cacdac said two chartered flights are set to return to the country. At present, he said that nearly 4,000 OFWs have returned.

"Approaching 4,000 na tayo. In fact, papunta ako sa airport ngayon. Mayroong manunumbalik na humigit kumulang, 200 higit, mula sa Bahrain at Kuwait," he said. 

(We are approaching 4,000 already. In fact, I am on my way to the airport now. There are returning individuals numbering a little over 200 from Bahrain and Kuwait.)

As of April 3, the DMW recorded a total of 4,241 repatriates from the Middle East. Aside from OFWs, they include Filipinos on visitor visas who got caught in the region when the fighting broke out on February 28.

Over 2.4 million Filipinos are in the Middle East as of March 1, 2026, according to data gathered by GMA News Research. Bulk of these Filipinos are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, with populations of 975,000 and 813,000, respectively. — VDV, GMA News