MORE than 300 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were finally brought back home yesterday, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
In a statement, the DOLE said 348 OFWs from Dubai and Abu Dhabi arrived in Manila via flight PR 8659 of the Philippine Airlines.
“The repatriation was shouldered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and was undertaken in coordination with the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, as part of efforts to bring home close to 2,000 OFWs and their families from the UAE,” the DOLE said, adding four more repatriation flights are set on July 12, 17, 27, and 30.
The repatriation comes amid the continued imposition of a travel ban for inbound travelers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman due to the threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, however, has allowed the conduct of special commercial flights to bring home stranded OFWs in countries covered by the travel ban.
DOLE said the repatriates include pregnant OFWs with medical cases, OFW wards housed at the Bahay Kalinga in Dubai, and OFW wards housed at the Bahay Kalinga in Abu Dhabi.
The rest of the OFW passengers were those with cancelled flights or overstaying in the UAE.
The repatriated OFWs will undergo quarantine, with OWWA to take care of their hotel accommodation and food while waiting for the result of their COVID tests.
The DOLE attached agency will also facilitate their transport back to their provinces after they tested negative for the deadly virus.
The newly-repatriated OFWs make up the fourth batch of OFWs brought home by the government, with the first three batches sent home by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
