The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has assisted at least 3,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) after the air traffic management system of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) encountered a technical problem on Sunday, Jan. 1.

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DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the affected OFWs have rebooked their flights and were provided food, shuttle services, and hotel accommodations by their airlines and recruitment agencies.

According to Cacdac, the stranded OFWs have flights to the Middle East and other countries in Asia.

Meanwhile, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople has directed the labor attachés in their corresponding area of concern to communicate to the employers the situation of the affected OFWs.

Ople told the labor attachés to explain the chaos that erupted after a power outage temporarily impacted air traffic control at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), disrupting nearly 300 flights and leaving over 50,000 travelers stranded.

A total of 282 flights were either delayed, canceled, or even diverted to other regional airports, while around 56,000 passengers were affected as of 4 p.m. on New Year's Day.

In a statement, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the air navigation glitches in NAIA first occurred on Sunday morning.

Transport officials said it takes at least three days to recover the backlog on flight schedules.

It also requires further funding to prevent such malfunctions at NAIA from happening again, according to CAAP.

NAIA is serving as the Southeast Asian hub being the main gateway for travelers to the Philippines, serving the capital Manila and surrounding regions.

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