By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – The Philippine government on Thursday facilitated the safe return of 319 displaced Filipinos from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), through a third charter flight.
The chartered plane carrying the repatriated Filipinos, arranged by the government, landed at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at 2:42 p.m.
Speaking to reporters, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac expressed gratitude to the UAE authorities for facilitating the successful repatriation of Filipinos affected by the crisis in the Gulf region.
Cacdac noted that around 200 of the repatriated Filipinos are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), while the rest are stranded Filipinos.
Their return was made successful through the cooperation of the DMW, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the Philippine Consulate General and Migrant Workers Office in Dubai, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
He said the government experienced challenges along the way but was able to guarantee the safe return of the affected Filipinos.
“Safety talaga, security ang number one consideration (We really put a prime on their safety, making security as number one consideration). So, timing is everything, logistical operations are everything, coordination with the host country would mean everything,” Cacdac said.
He noted that the total number of Filipinos repatriated through the whole-of-government repatriation efforts has now reached 1,400. He added that a fourth charter flight is being arranged this coming weekend.
“This is a live count. There will be a fourth charter flight this weekend,” Cacdac said.
He added that around 800 Filipinos have likewise signified their intent to return home.
“Sa ngayon (Presently), in the different countries, we are arranging for the repatriation of at least a little less than 1,000, around 800. But the requests keep coming in and our migrant workers’ offices will always be available,” he said. (PNA)
