The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) announced the planned repatriation of 341 distressed Filipino workers affected by unrest in the Middle East via a special charter flight.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) declared on March 14, 2026, that a total of 341 distressed and stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain will be flown back to the Philippines through a charter flight scheduled to depart from Riyadh to Manila on March 14. This operation follows tensions and instability in the Middle East region affecting Filipinos working there.
OWWA, together with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Philippine Embassies in Riyadh and Manama, are assisting OFWs from Bahrain to cross land borders and reach Riyadh in order to board the repatriation flight. Similarly, OFWs in Kuwait are receiving government support to secure travel clearances and cross borders to arrive at the staging area in Riyadh.
The agency also reported that the government is providing various welfare assistance including help with travel documentation, temporary accommodation, transportation support, and other urgent needs during the repatriation process. According to OWWA, the repatriation is funded by the Emergency Repatriation Fund managed by the agency to guarantee the safe and orderly return of Filipinos affected by the current situation in the Middle East.
Further charter flights are being arranged to continue repatriation operations and assist other distressed OFWs or those requested to return to the Philippines from the region. The special flight is expected to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on March 15.
Under the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., OWWA has coordinated this whole-of-government approach with the DMW, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and relevant Philippine embassies and Filipino communities to ensure the protection and welfare of Filipinos overseas amid ongoing regional tensions.
Sources referenced:
- https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/balitambayan/pinoyabroad/980008/341-distressed-at-stranded-ofws-mula-saudi-arabia-kuwait-bahrain-pauuwiin-sa-pilipinas/story/