A TOTAL of 131 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), along with nine dependents, are expected to return home from Lebanon within the week after they sought to be repatriated from the crisis-torn region.
In a statement, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said repatriation efforts from Lebanon are continuing amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
“Most of them were sheltered in Beirut under the auspices of the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA),” said Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
“We stand continually ready to assist and support OFWs, who wish to go home for safety and security,” he added.
The Department said the repatriates are expected to arrive in the Philippines in two batches — the first with 52 OFWs and 1 dependent and the second with 79 OFWs and 8 dependents.
The DMW said the government would provide all of the repatriated OFWs immediate financial and airport assistance.
The returning OFWs will also be assisted in their upskilling and sustainable reintegration, including livelihood assistance or skills training enhancement for redeployment options.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, the DMW has already repatriated a total of 1,569 OFWs and 68 dependents from Lebanon.
