More than 100 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon and Kuwait recently returned to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday, April 5.
A total of 124 overseas Filipinos, including children, were repatriated on March 30 through the government's mass repatriation program.
The chartered flight came from Lebanon and made a stopover in Kuwait to pick up distressed Filipino workers before proceeding to Manila.
"This is the Embassy’s first mass repatriation program of the year after bringing home around 3,400 nationals since the free voluntary mass repatriation started in 2019," the DFA said.
According to Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond R. Balatbat, Filipinos in Lebanon, most are women and children, are being repatriated amid the worsening economic situation in the foreign country.
Balatbat said the embassy’s assistance-to-nationals (ATN) program was able to provide the appropriate assistance to Filipino migrant workers and their dependents in resolving cases involving legal, immigration, medical and welfare concerns, in coordination with local stakeholders and the DFA.
"The embassy is committed to continue providing ATN services and bringing home distressed OFWs and their dependents amidst the ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon," the ambassador said.
He added that the embassy's ATN team has coordinated with concerned agencies in the Philippines to address the quarantine requirements of those not fully-vaccinated upon their arrival.