More than 1,300 Filipinos repatriated as Middle East tensions rise

MANILA, Philippines – More than 1,300 Filipinos stranded in the Middle East have been safely repatriated as tensions and conflict continue to affect parts of the region.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported on Sunday, March 15, that 1,022 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 293 dependents — a total of 1,315 — returned to the Philippines under the government’s Bagong Pilipinas Repatriation Program from March 5 to March 14.

The repatriations come amid a broader Middle East conflict that began with United States and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28, which killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials. Iran responded with widespread missile and drone attacks across the Gulf.

The Philippine government has confirmed one Filipino killed. Mary Anne Velazquez de Vera was a caregiver in Israel who died while reportedly assisting her patient to reach a bomb shelter.

Data from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shows that there are an estimated 2.4 million Filipinos in the Middle East, with the majority concentrated in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 

At least 86,000 are documented in areas where varying crisis alert levels have been raised by the DFA.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said the government prioritizes the safe return of OFWs from high-risk areas, those with medical conditions, and others facing urgent humanitarian concerns.

On Sunday, at least 384 more Filipinos arrived in the Philippines, with 36 from Qatar and 348 via a chartered flight from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The chartered flight was the second government-organized charter flight under an action plan aimed at accelerating the return and support of OFWs affected by crises in the Middle East. – Rappler.com