More than 1,300 Filipinos were sent home as tensions in the Middle East escalated

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac says the government is prioritizing the return of OFWs from dangerous areas, with medical needs, or facing urgent humanitarian concerns.

MANILA, Philippines – More than 1,300 Filipinos stranded in the Middle East have been safely returned home as conflicts and conflicts continue to affect parts of the region.

The Department of Immigration Workers (DMW) reported on Sunday, March 15, that 1,022 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 293 dependents – a total of 1,315 – returned to the Philippines under government supervision. A New Plan to Restore the Philippines from March 5 to March 14.

The recall comes amid a major Middle East conflict that began with US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran on February 28, which to be killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials. Iran responded with massive missile and drone attacks in the Gulf.

The Philippine government has confirmed One Filipino was killed. Mary Anne Velazquez de Vera was a caregiver in Israel who died while helping her patient reach a bomb shelter.

Statistics from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) show that there are an estimated 2.4 million Filipinos in the Middle Eastwhile most are concentrated in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

At least 86,000 are listed in areas where different levels of crisis alert have been issued by DFA.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said the government prioritizes the safe repatriation of OFWs from vulnerable areas, those with medical conditions, and others facing urgent humanitarian concerns.

On Sunday, about 384 more Filipinos arrived in the Philippines, 36 from Qatar and 348 via chartered flight from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The chartered flight was the second chartered flight organized by the government under an action plan aimed at speeding up the return and support of OFWs affected by conflicts in the Middle East. – Rappler.com