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Pinoy Abroad

First batch of OFWs repatriated from Iraq to arrive Wednesday —DFA


After some delay, the first batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) repatriated from Iraq due to the Iran-US tension will finally arrive at the Philippines on Wednesday afternoon. The group was supposed to arrive Tuesday.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) explained that Iraqi immigration officials held the first group of OFWs at the Baghdad International Airport over alleged fake visa.

“The first group from Baghdad, which comprises seven adults and two minors, was supposed to arrive yesterday, but was held by Iraqi immigration officials at the Baghdad International Airport for baseless allegations of visa fraud,” the DFA said Wednesday.

The other group of the batch was four adults coming from Erbil near Baghdad.

The DFA said both groups will be landing in Doha, Qatar before arriving in Manila.

"The repatriates arriving today comprise the first batch of Filipinos coming home after the government ordered mandatory repatriation,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said.

"More Filipinos from affected areas are expected to come home in the coming weeks."

Due to the security threats in the Middle East, Alert Level 4 was raised in on January 8, mandating mandatory repatriation.

On January 3, Tehran’s elite Quds Force commander and architect of its growing military influence in the Middle East, Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad. Iran on January 8 struck back firing rockets at Iraq's bases, where US forces were located.

On the same day, at least 176 passengers were killed when Iran mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane while on alert after its missile strikes on US targets in Iraq. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News

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