More Filipinos return to Manila from the Middle East
MANILA – A chartered flight from the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain brought home 234 Filipinos today.
In a statement, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said the repatriates included three abandoned minors, several detainees who were imprisoned in Dubai, and wards and their minor children from Philippine Embassy halfway houses in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai.
The flight which landed today is the 60th airlift arranged by the Department of Foreign Affairs in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to assist overseas Filipinos in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was learned more than 320,000 overseas Filipinos have been repatriated since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
Special Envoy of the President to the Kingdom of Bahrain and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert E. A. Borje expressed President Duterte’s appreciation and concern of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
He reassured the repatriates of the Philippine government’s commitment to serve and ensure their well-being. He also added the government will continuously assist the overseas Filipinos this new year.
The repatriation comes at the heels of the four-day Official Visit to Manama with Undersecretary Borje, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola and PCOO Asst. Secretary for Global Media and Public Affairs JV Arcena.
The delegation was granted an audience by the Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. A courtesy call was also granted by the Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Ali bin Khalifah Al Khalifa as meetings were held with Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani and other officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior where issues about migrant workers’ rights, joint efforts to fight COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of the two countries’ cooperation in other areas of mutual concern including but not limited to trade and investment. (Melo M. Acuña)
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