13th batch of OFW repatriates from Israel arrives in PH

BACK HOME. The 13th batch of OFW repatriates from Israel arrive at the NAIA Terminal 1 on Tuesday night (Dec. 19, 2023). The Department of Migrant Workers said the group was composed of 31 caregivers and six hotel workers. (Photo: Department of Migrant Workers/Facebook)

The group, composed of 31 caregivers and six hotel workers, arrived onboard Philippine Airlines flight PR731 at the NAIA Terminal 1, the Department of Migrants Workers (DMW) said in an advisory.

This is the 13th batch of OFWs from Israel who availed of the voluntary repatriation program by the government amid the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants.

The DMW, together with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), welcomed the group with various forms of government assistance.

They received a total of PHP125,000 in financial aid, training, and capacity enhancement vouchers from TESDA, OWWA, and the DSWD, as well as “pasalubong” goodies and a pail full of “Noche Buena” items from the PCSO.

The DOH also extended medical assistance to the OFW returnees.

The repatriates will also receive comprehensive reintegration assistance and job facilitation services for other employment opportunities, whether here or in another country, through the DMW and DOLE.

A total of 413 OFWs from Israel have safely returned to the country so far since Hamas launched its attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.