MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said the Marcos administration is arranging chartered flights to fetch overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Middle East, with one flight from Saudi Arabia expected to depart as early as Saturday, March 14.
Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) warned its personnel abroad to properly assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The warning was raised after recalling one of its staff from the Philippine Embassy in Bahrain over a viral video showing the employee shooing away Filipinos asking for assistance.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said authorities are coordinating chartered repatriation flights for OFWs stranded in the region, including one departing from Riyadh and another from the United Arab Emirates that is still being finalized.
According to Castro, another chartered repatriation flight is being arranged from the United Arab Emirates as part of the government’s continuing efforts to bring home Filipinos affected by travel disruptions and security concerns in parts of the Middle East.
She added that the chartered operations will be financed through the Emergency Repatriation Fund being administered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Meanwhile, officials have yet to determine how many Filipinos will be accommodated in the chartered flights.
Castro said the government was still coordinating with the Department of Migrant Workers regarding the number of passengers for the March 14 flight.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh on Monday urged Filipinos to stay calm and follow official guidance after sharing safety tips from the Saudi Civil Defense on responding to alerts from the National Early Warning Platform amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
In an advisory, the embassy advised the public that when receiving a warning message while driving, they should pull over to the side of the road away from bridges and tall buildings.
“Immediately proceed to the nearest safe place (inside a building or an interior room away from windows) and stay there until the danger has passed,” the statement read.
“If you are outdoors, enter the nearest building or take shelter behind a solid barrier,” it added.
The embassy also recommended calling the emergency number (911) in the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, and (988) in other parts of the Kingdom if danger is spotted.
It urged the public to follow instructions from relevant authorities through official channels and advised Filipinos to keep monitoring news and updates from official sources, including the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah.
DMW secretary Hans Leo Cacdac ordered the recall of the staff member following complaints from several OFWs who said they were treated poorly when they approached the embassy.
The incident stemmed from a video recorded on Sunday that circulated on social media showing the DMW personnel telling a group of OFWs to leave the embassy premises, although they were just trying to seek assistance amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
In response, the Philippine Embassy in Bahrain clarified that the distribution of financial assistance to OFWs is temporarily suspended and that only individuals with prior appointments can be accommodated due to existing security guidelines in the country.
Cacdac said the recalled employee would be required to explain the incident and may face appropriate sanctions, stressing that the DMW expects its personnel to treat OFWs with respect, compassion and humility at all times.
