• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Amid the ongoing raging armed conflict between United States-Israel and Iran, some Negrense Overseas Filipino Workers are seeking repatriation from the Middle East, Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz disclosed on Wednesday.
Seven Negrense OFWs have requested assistance through the Capitol Help Desk. Diaz said three, consisting of two from Kuwait and one from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, already signified their intention to be repatriated. The three OFWs are residents of Himamaylan City and Pulupandan.
The request for their repatriation was already relayed to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, according to Diaz, adding that the four others just provided pre-emptive information on their locations, as well as contact numbers.
Based on reports from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), about 1,416 OFWs from the different countries in the Middle East have sought repatriation.
The Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy are also preparing assets in case the government orders the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amid the Middle East conflict.
“This will be done in coordination with (the) DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), the DMW (Department of Migrant Workers) and the DND (Department of National Defense),” PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco said in a press briefing Tuesday.
Diaz said that they will extend financial assistance to an OFW-resident of Isabela, Negros Occidental, whose flight to KSA was cancelled while in Hongkong, upon his return to Negros Occidental. He also thanked Isabela Mayor Miguel Angelo Yulo for taking charge of the plane tickets of the returning OFW.
Based on data provided by the provincial government, there are 16,623 Negrense OFWs working in the Middle East.
Diaz also announced that the provincial government is ready to provide scholarships to children of displaced Negrense OFWs, and disturbance compensation.*
