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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 175 overseas Filipinos return home from Netherlands, Ethiopia, Syria--DFA

175 overseas Filipinos return home from Netherlands, Ethiopia, Syria--DFA

Published Dec 13, 2021 05:24 pm

Around 175 overseas Filipinos, including seafarers, nationals affected by escalating conflicts, and human trafficking victims from the Netherlands, Ethiopia, and Syria were recently brought back home, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

(Photo courtesy of the DFA)

Around 150 stranded Filipinos, mostly seafarers, arrived in the country from Amsterdam, Netherlands on Saturday, Dec. 11.

“The arrival of this flight is a first step in bringing home our stranded kababayan in Europe. We give thanks to our men and women both at our embassies abroad and at home for working round the clock and making sure that the much needed certifications and clearances were issued and properly acted upon,” said Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola.

Seventeen overseas Filipinos, including 12 adults, four children, and one infant, were brought back home from Ethiopia on Sunday, Dec. 12.

According to the DFA, they are the first batch of repatriates from Ethiopia since the raising of Alert Level 4 or mandatory evacuation for overseas Filipinos due to escalating conflict in certain areas in the country.

The Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt facilitated their safe passage from Addis Ababa, Cairo, and Manama for their eventual arrival in Manila.

Moreover, eight overseas Filipino workers, who were victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment, were repatriated on Dec. 7 from Syria.

The department said the embassy is currently assisting the victims to go after and file charges against their illegal recruiters in the Philippines, Malaysia, Dubai, and Syria.

Related Tags

Netherlands Ethiopia DFA OFWs SYRIA Repatriation 121321
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