A total of 14 Filipino non-marital children—or children born or conceived with unmarried parents —from Jordan are set to arrive in the Philippines on Saturday, Nov. 25, after a decade of appeals made by the government to the Arab nation.
The 14 children were initially barred from being repatriated to the country due to the absence of a Jordanian birth certificate, a requirement for them to travel outside Jordan.
"This repatriation is a testament to the cooperation between our two countries to resolve matters that affect the interests of our Filipino nationals in Jordan," Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Wilfredo Santos said in a statement.
The said the children left Jordan on Nov. 24.
According to the Philippine Embassy in Jordan, the children's repatriation became possible after it was able to secure secured an exceptional concession on August 10.
Their overstay penalties were also waived, the embassy added.
"We have proven that, in coordinating closely with our host government, we can get the job done. Now, our non-marital Filipino children, accompanied by their parents, can safely return to the Philippines," Santos said.
"We reiterate our sincerest thanks to the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for its support to this humanitarian undertaking, including working closely with the Philippine Embassy in Amman for the requirements for this effort, which took time and a lot of representations by both sides," he added.
The 14 Filipinos were the second batch of Filipino non-marital children repatriated from Jordan. On Oct. 7, the embassy also sent home 13 children after negotiations with the Kingdom.