382 OFWs repatriated from UAE -DFA

The government repatriated 382 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

In a statement on Saturday, the DFA said that through the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs, it coordinated with the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai to facilitate the first of a series of repatriation flights from the Middle Eastern country this month.

The repatriated OFWs included seven pregnant women, and were onboard a DFA-chartered Cebu Pacific flight on August 6, 2021.

Upon arrival, the OFWs were assisted by representatives from the City Government of Davao, the DFA Regional Consular Office in Davao, Department of Health, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippine Coast Guard and other members of the Davao One Stop Shop team (OSS).

They were also provided by the DFA with USD 200 as reintegration assistance.

The passengers underwent RT-PCR COVID-19 tests within 48 hours prior to their departure from the UAE and were allowed to board only if tests yielded negative results, in accordance with health and safety protocols.

They will then undergo stringent quarantine in facilities provided by Davao City and OWWA, and will be retested before the end of their quarantine.

The DFA said this is their eighth chartered repatriation flight from the UAE since June 2021, bringing the total number of Filipinos repatriated from UAE since the start of the COVID pandemic to 4,106.

Five more DFA-chartered repatriation flights are scheduled this month for Filipinos in the UAE who wish to return to the country. -MDM, GMA News