150 more Filipinos from strife-torn Yemen to arrive in Manila Saturday

MANILA – Another batch of 150 Filipino workers who fled the ongoing conflict in Yemen are scheduled to arrive in Manila on Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

The Filipinos, a DFA advisory said, flew out of Riyadh Friday and will arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City on April 11 in two batches.

They are the second group of evacuated Filipinos from Yemen to arrive in Manila, while more are expected to return to the country in the coming weeks, the DFA said.

The first batch composed of 50 evacuees will arrive at 10:05 a.m. on board Philippine Airlines flight PR655, while the second batch of 100 will arrive at 3:40 p.m. on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J741.

Manila is enforcing mandatory evacuation of its workers in Yemen amid heightened hostilities between armed factions battling for control of the government.

At present, 413 Filipinos have been evacuated out of Yemen.

Saturday’s arrivals will bring the total number of Filipinos who have returned to the Philippines to 246.

Amid pleas from the Philippine government to leave Yemen, the DFA said an estimated 458 Filipinos continue to remain in the troubled Middle East state.