Over 400 stranded Pinoys in Middle East brought home

Close to 500 stranded Filipinos in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, were able to make it home in time for the Christmas holidays.

According to Cebu Pacific, 469 Filipinos were brought home via three Bayanihan flights this week, in response to the government’s call to repatriate stranded Filipinos in the Middle East.

In coordination with the government and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Cebu Pacific mounted flights from Dubai-Manila on Monday and Dubai-Davao on Wednesday and Thursday.

Passengers were provided with meal upgrades, an additional 25kg baggage allowance, and full assistance for quarantine procedures, the airlines said.

"We are happy to keep on supporting the government in bringing home more fellow Filipinos.  We are honored to help them reunite with their loved ones, especially now that we are entering the holiday season,” Cebu Pacific Chief Strategy Officer Alex Reyes said in a statement.

The returning overseas Filipinos will be required to take an RT-PCR swab test and stay in a facility-based quarantine upon arrival.

Quarantine accommodation and testing costs for land-based OFWs are to be shouldered by OWWA, while costs for sea-based OFWs will be covered by the Philippine Port Authority. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/KBK, GMA News