299 OFWs Stranded In Riyadh Ready To Be Brought Home; 34 Arriving Today, Oct. 19
The first group of 34 traveled by land from Riyadh to Al Qassim Airport before boarding Qatar Airways flight QR 1197 to Doha, Qatar, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said.
The Department of Migrant Workers said on Sunday, Oct. 19, 299 overseas Filipino workers stranded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were ready to be repatriated to the Philippines amid regional tensions and flight disruptions.
The first batch, consisting of 34 OFWs, is set to arrive in the Philippines today, Oct. 19.
In a statement on Sunday, Oct. 18, the DMW said 50 more OFWs would also leave Riyadh today for their flight back to the Philippines.
Because of the flight disruptions, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said its office in Riyadh, the DMW and the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia arranged alternative routes through Al Qassim and Dammam for affected workers.
The first group of 34 traveled by land from Riyadh to Al Qassim Airport in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia before boarding Qatar Airways flight QR 1197 to Doha, OWWA disclosed. They will then take flight QR 934 to Manila and are expected to arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 this morning.
Upon their arrival, OWWA's Repatriation and Assistance Division will provide airport assistance, temporary shelter when needed and domestic transportation for workers returning to their respective provinces.
The repatriation follows a series of drone and missile attacks targeting facilities and airports across Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh last week, which left 14 dead and more than 300 injured. Seven of those injured were Filipinos.
The attacks also led to flight cancellations and delays.
Earlier, the DMW said the Filipinos injured in Riyadh would also be repatriated. Only one of the three who were taken to the intensive care unit due to injuries remains in the ICU, while the two others were already transferred to a ward, it added. The other victims have been discharged from the hospitals.
“The good news is that the surgical operations were successful,” DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said.
The DMW disclosed on Sunday that the number of OFWs stranded and who temporarily stopped working due to the conflict in Saudi Arabia reached 1,745.
The DMW said they were provided assistance – financial, medical, transport, food and shelter.
