Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 21) — Ninety Filipinos who sought assistance from the Philippine government to return home from Saudi Arabia have finally arrived in Manila on Saturday afternoon.
Eighty-seven overseas Filipino workers (OFW), along with three children, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 at 12:30 p.m.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said that many of the returning OFWs cited traumatic working experiences with their employers.
Others wished to return home due to illnesses while some had immigration violations, the agencies said.
Nurhaya Asan Sulaiman, one of the repatriates, shared that she suffered abuses at the hands of her employer for more than four years.
She added that her husband died while she was away during the past years.
\”Four years and seven months na magtrabaho ako sa kanila tapos hindi ako naghawak ng phone. Yung mga gamit ko hindi pinahawak sa akin lahat. Tapos yung mga pera ko hindi ko hawak, sila ang naghahawak,\” she told CNN Philippines. \”Pero tiniis ko pa rin magtrabaho para makaahon sa hirap yung mga anak ko.\”
[Translation: They held my phone while working for them for four years and seven months. They didn’t allow me to touch my things or keep my own money. But I endured working for them to give my children a better life.]
There were supposedly 92 OFWs expected to arrive home, but the DMW said that some encountered delays in the administrative processing of their papers.
\”May hitches in administrative procedures, documentation, etc. But we’ll get them home as soon as natapos, few days lang ‘yan,\” said DMW spokesperson Toby Nebrida in a message to CNN Philippines.
[Translation: There were hitches in the administrative procedures, documentation, etc. But we’ll get them home as soon as the paperwork are finished in a few days.]
The DMW said the returning OFWs were given an initial financial support of US$200 before leaving Saudi Arabia.
They were also given additional cash aid as well as food and hygiene products by the DMW and the OWWA when they arrived in the country.
The DMW added that the repatrates will undergo medical and psychosocial assessment.
The OWWA will also provide them with transportation to their homes in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The government, meanwhile, will shoulder the hotel expenses of those who have flights the next day.
In 2022, the DMW said Saudi Arabia had the most number of repatriation cases of OFWs at 4,958
