Repatriated OFWs from Mideast to get cash, livelihood aid

FILE: Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III during a press conference on Thursday (Sept. 27, 2018), which is held at the DOLE main office in Intramuros, Manila. (PNA photo by Gil Calinga)

MANILA — Qualified overseas Filipino workers repatriated from the Middle East will get cash and livelihood assistance, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Saturday.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said aside from livelihood assistance, the repatriated OFWs from Iraq are expected to receive cash assistance of PHP20,000 for active members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and PHP10,000 for non-active members.

A total of 13 OFWs have so far been repatriated by the Philippine government from Iraq via Doha, Qatar.

The returning Filipino workers were accompanied by Qatar Labor Attaché David Des Dicang and welcomed by Labor Undersecretary Claro Arellano when they arrived in the country on Wednesday.

Dicang said there are a total of 1,640 OFWs, documented and undocumented, in Iraq.

Of the number, 847 are in Baghdad, 655 in Erbil, and 148 in Sulaymaniyah.

The OFWs were welcomed by OWWA officer-in-charge administrator Josefino Torres and deputy administrator Mocha Uson at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Aside from the provision of airport and transportation assistance, upon the arrival of the repatriates, Torres and Uson briefed them on the programs and services of OWWA.

To ensure a smooth repatriation process, the Philippine government has assisted the OFWs in securing exit visas from their employers and other necessary documents while they were there.

The Filipino workers were brought home from Iraq which is currently under Alert Level 4 which means mandatory repatriation, following the tensions between the United States and Iran.