Over 1,000 distressed OFWs in Dubai stranded due to travel restrictions in Philippines

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Over 1,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have remained stranded in Dubai due to flight cancellations imposed by Manila as part of COVID-19 measures.

“Medyo yes,” Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes told GMA News Online, when asked whether the repatriation backlog has gone up due to travel restrictions in the Philippines.

“Halos 1,000-plus pa,” he said.

The stranded OFWs are currently under the care of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai.

Cortes expressed hope the next flight could be scheduled soon. So far, Cortes said no specific date has been announced.

Flights were canceled in May, and the cancellations have been extended until June 30.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque earlier this week announced the national government approved the extension of the current ban on travelers coming from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, and Oman until June 30.

Despite this, the Philippine missions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been able to arrange special flights in coordination with authorities back home, the latest of which was on June 16 involving some 325 Filipinos – 129 from Abu Dhabi and 196 from Dubai and its neighboring northern emirates – on board Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight 8659.

The repatriation was done by virtue of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Philippine Republic Act 11519), through which free tickets were issued.

A similar flight was held earlier on June 1 with over 300 Filipinos on board, according to Cortes.

He said the special flights were mounted in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA).

“The flights were undertaken in response to numerous requests for repatriation assistance from UAE-based Filipinos, particularly those whose flight to the Philippines was affected due to recent imposition of entry restrictions on passengers from the UAE and other countries to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines,” Cortes said in a statement.
 
He added: “The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai is working closely with the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the DFA-OUMWA to address the situation, particularly in light of the further extension of said entry restrictions.”

Cortes said the Philippine missions in the UAE have “continually (been) receiving requests from our fellow Filipinos for eventual repatriation.”

“We are both collating the list so that we could recommend…repatriation flights to allow these people to go back home,” he said.

Cortes said reasons for repatriation requests were mainly loss of work and being stranded due to the travel ban. Also repatriated were patients with medical emergencies, children and pregnant women. —KG, GMA News