OFW in Kuwait will get to see late mother for last time via repatriation program

There are many terrible stories carried by thousands of Filipinos who arrive from the Middle East via the government’s repatriation program. One Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) from Kuwait is grateful for the said program because in the midst of sadness, she will have an opportunity to see the remains of recently departed mother.

In a statement from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Wednesday, it has almost been three years since domestic worker Emily Picatoste last visited the Philippines from her work in Kuwait.

She was planning to spend vacation in the Philippines after Ramadan but this was complicated by hostilities in the Middle East.

The DMW said Picatoste went to the Philippine Embassy on April 6 where she applied for the government’s repatriation program.

Two days later, however, her mother fell ill and passed away.

In the midst of her grief, Picatoste returned to the Embassy to request if she could come home earlier in light of what happened to her mother.

“Through the cooperation of the Embassy, Migrant Workers Office and the Overseas Welfare Administration Administration (OWWA), her request was processed immediately. On April 12, she received confirmation that she would join the flight to the Philippines,” the DMW said.

Even as she grieved, Picatoste expressed her gratitude to the government for her early return.

“Thank you for your help. Were it not for this, I might not have been able to see my mother for the last time,” she said.

Picatoste is among the 360 Filipinos from the Middle East who arrived on Wednesday morning, April 15, 2026, from Kuwait. From Pasay City, the OWWA will assist the OFW so she could go home to her province in Mindanao. 

Also returning to the country this morning are the remains of 20 OFWs who died of natural causes in the Middle East. —RF, GMA News