There are about 16,623 Negrense Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Middle East, from Bahrain to Iran, Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Wednesday, March 4.
The Negros Occidental provincial government Help Desk had received eight requests for assistance as of Wednesday.
The requests of three Negrenses for repatriation have been forwarded to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), he said.
Two OFWs from Pulupandan and Himamaylan City living in Kuwait have asked to be repatriated out of fear for their safety. Another OFW from Pulupandan working in Saudi Arabia has also expressed his desire to return home, Diaz said.
An OFW from Victorias City has also sought the help of the provincial government for a ticket to return home to Bacolod. Her flight for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was cancelled and she is stranded in Manila.
An OFW from Isabela who was stranded in Manila after his flight from Hong Kong to Riyadh was cancelled returned to Negros Occidental on Wednesday, Diaz said.
Isabela Mayor Miguel Yulo paid for his fare to return home, Diaz said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Greg Gasataya said on Wednesday that the Bacolod City Help Desk received 44 calls for assistance, and 37 were referred to agencies concerned.
He also said there are a lot of OFWs who are in Bacolod on vacation or whose contracts had ended who are unable to return to the Middle East.
“We will come up with a plan on how they can be assisted,” Gasataya said.
The Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration are increasing efforts to ensure the safety and protection of affected OFWs caught in the escalating tensions in the Middle East, a DMW press statement said Wednesday.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the DMW and OWWA are working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of National Defense, and host country governments in the Middle East to evaluate the security situation of OFWs in the region and coordinate efforts to safely repatriate them.*
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