The government dispatched its third chartered flight early Wednesday to bring home Filipinos from the Middle East, as part of its ongoing repatriation efforts amid escalating tensions in the region.
The B777-300 plane departed from Manila with Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officials Dominique Rubia-Tutay and Vennie Legaspi onboard to assist in the repatriation of overseas Filipinos.
The latest mission follows two earlier flights that arrived over the weekend. The first landed last Saturday, while the second touched down Sunday morning.
DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said about 1,000 OFWs have so far been repatriated through government-arranged chartered flights.
“We have been able to bring home no less than 1,000 OFWs because of the initiative and efforts of the Philippine government to bring them home safely. They were able to return home using chartered flights,” Olalia said in a press conference.
“While commercial flights are available, they are not guaranteed,” he said.
In London, the International Maritime Organization will begin an “extraordinary session” on Wednesday to discuss shipping amid the Middle East war, as fears grow over the fate of thousands of stranded ships and seafarers.
The IMO’s 40-member council could vote Thursday on several proposed resolutions, including one to “establish a safe maritime corridor to allow the safe evacuation of seafarers and ships stranded in the Persian Gulf.”
However, if passed, resolutions remain non-binding.
The meeting—open to all 176 member states as well as dozens of NGOs and maritime industry bodies—comes as Iran’s retaliation to Israeli-US strikes cripples commercial shipping in or near the Strait of Hormuz.
An effective Iranian blockade of the key maritime chokepoint—through which a fifth of global crude and liquefied natural gas normally transits—has dramatically spiked oil prices and spooked markets.
It has also left around 20,000 seafarers stranded on approximately 3,200 vessels west of the strait, according to the IMO.
At least 21 ships have been hit, targeted or reported attacks since the start of the conflict, according to an Agence France Presse (AFP) tally based on data from the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the IMO and Iraqi and Iranian authorities.
Olalia noted that some repatriation efforts remain complicated, particularly for Filipinos in countries like Kuwait and Qatar, where airspace restrictions have forced authorities to explore land routes before arranging flights out.
Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Mardomel Celo Melicor said on Tuesday that Qatar will be resuming flights from Doha to Manila starting March 18, saying there will be “10 emergency flights” from Doha to Manila daily.
Olalia said the government provided temporary shelter, hotel accommodation, and financial assistance to displaced Filipinos prior to their return to the Philippines.
Meanwhile, twelve Filipino seafarers aboard a vessel attacked off the waters of Iraq have been confirmed safe, the DMW) said, and gave assurance that more than 7,000 other Filipino crew members operating near the volatile Strait of Hormuz remain unharmed amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. With AFP
Cacdac said reports from shipowners and manning agencies verified the safety of the 12 crew members, adding that monitoring systems continue to track the condition of thousands of Filipino seafarers navigating nearby high-risk waters.
The agency reiterated that key maritime corridors, including the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, have been designated as “war risk operations areas” due to ongoing hostilities in the region.
Filipino seafarers retain the right to refuse deployment to vessels passing through these danger zones without penalty. The DMW said those who decline such assignments are entitled to two months’ pay and employer-funded repatriation to the Philippines.
The Philippines, one of the world’s top suppliers of maritime labor with around 400,000 seafarers deployed globally, continues to monitor developments closely while coordinating with international shipping partners to safeguard Filipino crew members in conflict-affected areas.
