Concerned about their safety, up to 58 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from Iloilo who are in the Middle East want to be repatriated.

Cynthia Dario, head of the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of Iloilo Province, said these OFWs are based in areas with security concerns owing to the tension in the Middle East.

“Mostly, nagsasabi na nababahala sila sa kanilang safety kasi every now and then, merong mga pagsabog sa kanilang area,” Dario said.

Of 58 OFWs who want to return to the Philippines, 42 are from Iloilo Province. There are 12,000 OFWs from the province who are in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, 16 others are from Iloilo City.

There are 803 OFWs from the city who are based in the Middle East, 369 of whom are said to be safe.

One of the 803 OFWs is 40-year-old Mark Anthony delos Reyes who works in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is from Barangay Zamora-Melliza in Iloilo City.

His mother, Rachel, said they worry about Mark’s situation because he has reportedly lost his job amid the tension in the Middle East. His contract reportedly ended in 2025.

She said she wants to see her son home.

“Yan pa ang wino-worry ko. Wala siyang trabaho doon at may war pa. Ano na lang ang kanyang sitwasyon doon? Gusto kong umuwi na lang siya. Hindi na nga ako makakatulog tuwing gabi,” she said.

The PESO in Iloilo City is ready to provide financial and livelihood assistance to OFWs who will return home.

“As of now, naghihintay kami ng signal ni DMW and then pagdating sa Philippines, dito na mag-intervene si city government. We have livelihood assistance, meron tayong short-term employment,” said Ella Maloto, Officer-in-charge of PESO in Iloilo City.

Repatriated OFWs will receive a P10,000 financial assistance from the government.