Six overseas Filipino workers from conflict-stricken Lebanon arrived in the Philippines on Friday, Nov. 3, after being repatriated by the national government.
The OFWs arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 onboard Emirates Airlines flight EK 336.
They were met by Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Officer-In-Charge Undersecretary Leo Hans Cacdac, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Arnel Ignacio, and representatives from Kabayan Partylist.
One of the repatriates was an OFW from Echague, Isabela who said that she was forced to go home due to the rising tension in Lebanon.
"The situation there is already bad. Instead of getting trapped when the fighting between Israel and Lebanon erupts once more, [I] decided to go home," the OFW said in Filipino.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier raised the alert in Lebanon to Level 3 which means that Filipinos based there are advised to leave the area amid the ongoing clash between Lebanese militants Hezbollah and Israeli troops.
Hezbollah is allied with Hamas, which launched a multifront attack against Israel last Oct. 7.
With the latest arrival, Cacdac said there are 10 OFWs that have been repatriated by the government from Lebanon. It can be recalled that four OFWs from Lebanon also arrived in the country last Oct. 28.
Cacdac said 33 more OFWs from Lebanon are expected to be escorted back to the Philippines as they wished to be repatriated.
Meanwhile, the fifth batch of OFWs from Israel who requested to be repatriated will be arriving on Monday, Nov. 6, the DMW said.
The latest batch of repatriates is composed of 22 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and an infant, the DMW added.