MANILA – Over 1,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Middle East are now in the country, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported Tuesday.
In a statement, the DOLE said the OFWs arrived in three batches via chartered flights from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
The first batch arrived via a Philippine Airlines flight comprised of 345 OFWs from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They are workers who have long completed their contracts with the Saudi Manpower Solutions Company (SMASCO) but could not be sent home immediately when the Saudi government imposed travel restrictions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
It added that the second batch consisting of 410 OFWs was flown in via Qatar Airways from Lebanon.
A total of 400 OFWs who were mostly staying at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Dubai, arrived in the country via a Cebu Pacific flight.
The DOLE added that their return was facilitated through the close coordination among the POLOs, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the employers.
On the other hand, the OWWA repatriation team and the Philippine Coast Guard assisted in doing the swab tests.
They were brought to quarantine facilities while awaiting their Covid-19 test results.
OWWA will provide transport to Covid-19-free OFWs to their final destination provinces, in coordination with the local government units.
Meanwhile, OWWA chief Hans Cacdac requested all the assisted OFWs to download the 'Uwian Na' app available at Google store or to register at uwianna.owwa.gov.ph, for their systematic tracing in quarantine facilities and to organize their travel back home.
“Our assisted OFWs may also check OWWA’s official page specially created for quarantine operations, https://www.facebook.com/OWWAQuarantineOps/?modal=admin_todo_tour. In that page, we share the lists of negative results from the PCG. You can also find hotline numbers of different agencies like Konsulta MD if you have medical concern, or Hopeline Philippines if you need counseling,” he said in a statement. (PNA)
