Two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Cebu and Siquijor, currently in Iran, sought repatriation assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) due to escalating tensions with Israel, the agency reported.
The workers’ families filed requests with OWWA’s Central Visayas office, as confirmed by officer Christina Marie Vistal, since Siquijor falls under Region 7’s jurisdiction due to the absence of an OWWA office in the newly created Negros Island Region.
Only 22 OFWs from Central Visayas—including 13 from Cebu and two from Siquijor—are in Iran, a small fraction of the 1,200 Filipinos there compared to 30,000 in Israel, OW WA-Central Visayas data showed.
Over the weekend, six other OFWs—five shrimp hatchery technicians and one Dubai-based domestic worker who traveled to Iran with her employer—arrived safely at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced.
The Philippine Embassy in Tehran, led by Ambassador Roberto Manalo, coordinated their return with DMW and OWWA, with officials including OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan welcoming them.
Gideon Pacamalan, a shrimp hatchery technician from Misamis Oriental, thanked the government for his safe return after nearly 25 years in Iran, where he earned a good salary but chose to leave due to regional unrest.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Filipino workers in Iran seek safe return amid Middle East tensions”
