CEB to ferry 430 repatriated OFWs from Kuwait Wednesday

A special Cebu Pacific (CEB) flight carrying at least 430 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Kuwait is scheduled to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Wednesday. (Photo by Steven Byles/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

MANILA — A special Cebu Pacific (CEB) flight carrying at least 430 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Kuwait is scheduled to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Wednesday.

CEB Corporate Communications Director Charo Lagamon told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) the airline could only provide one special flight to help repatriate the OFWs, since CEB does not have a flight to Kuwait.

The airline would ferry the distressed OFWs from Kuwait for free, as a response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to local carriers to help repatriate the OFWs there.

CEB earlier announced that it would deploy an Airbus A330 with a maximum capacity of 436 passengers. The airline would also provide free food, refreshment, and baggage allowance to the passengers of this special flight.

More than 1,000 OFWs in Kuwait have been repatriated by the Philippine government since last week. The move was made amid reports of abuse and maltreatment that the OFWs were experiencing.

Last week, the remains of slain OFW Joanna Demafelis arrived in the Philippines.

According to reports, Demafelis worked as a domestic worker in Kuwait. She was murdered, and her body was found in a freezer.