PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. welcomed the repatriated Filipinos from the Middle Eastern country at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on March 23.
The Philippine government is preparing to bring home at least 1,200 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Middle East as war in the region disrupts air travel, logistics, and the daily lives of millions of migrants.
Immigration Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said authorities are seeing a steady increase in repatriation requests, as more Filipinos seek help as conditions on the ground are still uncertain.
“We have an increasing number… At least 1,200 [have asked] so that they can be sent home in the coming days,” he told reporters.
Their planned repatriation adds to the government’s efforts to help Filipinos affected by the growing tensions. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in a statement said that there have been 1,262 requests for repatriation, emphasizing the growing concern for workers in the region.
A major challenge has been the restricted airspace in certain parts of the Middle East, complicating evacuation plans.
Countries like Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain have limited flight availability, forcing the Philippine authorities to explore other routes.
“Challenges continue with those that have closed airspace – there are Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain,” said Mr. Cacdac. “The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has many airports, so we can hire there.”
The UAE is already a critical transit hub due to its open air corridors and large Filipino population.
Authorities said chartered planes from the UAE would be deployed one after the other as part of an ongoing repatriation effort.
The level of activity reflects the deep relationship of the Philippines with the region. Government data shows about 2.4 million Filipinos live and work in the Middle East, with the largest concentration in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, followed by Qatar and Kuwait.
On Monday, 343 Filipinos from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia arrived at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City near the Philippine capital. This group included employees and their dependents.
Mr. Cacdac said 234 Filipinos including their dependents came from Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, while 109 came from Saudi Arabia.
Received by Mr. Marcos, which shows that the government continues to focus on the welfare of overseas workers during this crisis.
Mr. Cacdac said that half of the returnees – those from Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain – had to travel several hours on land to reach safe exit points, highlighting the complexity of these people’s operations.
“It was an effort to cross the country, and it takes about seven to eight hours to reach Riyadh,” he said.
Since early March, the Department of Migrant Labor has assisted the return of approximately 1,600 Filipinos, including both workers and their families.
Despite the shaky security situation, the government has so far remained steadfast in imposing a military ban.
Mr. Cacdac said the decision depends on the levels of warning people about legal travel, which have not yet been raised to the level that will create mandatory restrictions.
“The embassies and we have issued advisories, and the DFA has also issued security measures,” he added.
The growing conflict in the Middle East has put millions of migrant workers in the region, including Filipinos, in increasingly precarious situations, as canceled flights, missile attacks and attacks on oil fields disrupt the way of life and travel. – Adrian H. Halili
