Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro has described the swift release of the 24 Filipinos detained in Russia as a testament to the evolving relations between Manila and Moscow after President Marcos personally appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for their freedom.

Speaking to reporters after welcoming the returning Filipinos at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Lazaro noted that the release came just a day after the President raised the matter during his bilateral meeting with Putin in Kazan.

"What happened now, yung pagpapalabas sa 24 na mga kababayan natin, this is, I think, the first time na the next day, nung ni-request ng Pangulo, the next day pinalabas sila (What happened with the release of our 24 kababayans is, I think, the first time that the day after the President requested it, they were already released),” she said.

"I think this is also a testimonial of the kind of relations that we have started and probably evolving and developing," she added.

The 24 Filipinos arrived in Manila in two batches early Sunday, June 21, with the first group landing shortly after midnight and the second at around 3:50 a.m.

They were welcomed by Lazaro and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Lazaro disclosed that the overwhelming majority of the repatriated Filipinos were women, with only two being men.

The Filipinos had been detained in Russia's Yakutsk region for nearly nine months over immigration-related issues after allegedly falling victim to illegal recruiters.

President Marcos announced their impending release on June 19 after revealing that Putin had informed him that Russian authorities had found that the Filipinos had not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the government has already begun implementing assistance measures for the repatriated Filipinos.

"Tayo ay nagsasagawa na ng mga implementasyon ng pagtulong sa kanila (We are already implementing measures to assist them),” he told Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM).

Cacdac said President Marcos also directed the government to extend immediate financial assistance to the returning workers.

The DMW chief added that the President's directive goes beyond financial aid and includes helping the workers rebuild their lives.

"But ang isang direktiba rin ng Pangulo ay tulungan sa pangkalahatan. So merong employment, livelihood assistance na pwedeng ibigay sa kanila. Ilalaan yan for the next few days (But another directive from the President is to help them comprehensively. So there are employment and livelihood assistance programs that can be provided to them. These will be arranged in the next few days),” Cacdac said.

The government has also provided hotel accommodations and plane tickets to their respective hometowns through the OWWA.

In addition, skills training through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is also in the pipeline as part of the workers' reintegration program.

The release and repatriation of the 24 Filipinos were among the immediate outcomes of President Marcos' first visit to Russia, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Manila and Moscow.