Luck plays a role in repatriation of some OFWs in Dubai

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – For some Filipinos, being repatriated is so random that it can come down to plain luck.

Take the case of frail, 59-year-old Anthony Cueva, who has been in hiding for lack of legal papers for the past five years. He was a chance passenger but made it because a diabetic repatriate whose blood sugar spiked so high that she had to forgo the flight.

Or Nina Reyes, a jobless nanny, who accompanied her departing friend to the processing center only to be told that she, too, was up for repatriation that same night.

Or Doms Llovido Jr., a fresh graduate from Bulacan, who arrived on February 27 with a three-month visit visa. The following day, US and Israel bombed Iran in what started the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Llovido has, for the time being, volunteered to help repatriates with their luggage at the repatriation center.

Dealing with OFWs

Elsewhere, social media is awash with queries from Filipinos asking when their turn for repatriation will be, stressing that their papers have been with the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) for weeks.

Others are asking if the repatriation is still on as they have decided to apply as well.

Explains Labor Attaché John Rio A. Bautista, MWO head in Dubai and the Northern Emirates: “‘Yung iba naman sasabihin, ‘Ang bilis naman. Teka muna hindi pa kami naka-impake.’ Tinatawagan pa naming isa-isa yung mga repatriates to confirm at the last minute.”

(Others will say, ‘That was fast. Wait, we haven’t packed yet.’ We call the repatriates to confirm at the last minute if they will proceed.)

They have also had instances when the repatriate appeared to be not so serious about going back home, having second thoughts

“Kahapon mayroong isa na hindi dumating, di raw siya nagising,” said Bautista. (Yesterday, there was one who did not make it because he was not able to get up on time.)

With final processing scheduled at 3 am because everybody has to be at Dubai International Airport (DIA) by 6 am for the 9:35 am flight, most repatriates were already at the repatriation center earlier than scheduled.

“Mayroong 11 pm andito na. Hindi na sila natutulog, tapos siya hindi nagising,” Bautista said. (There were those who arrive at 11 pm. They don’t sleep anymore, and we have him who did not wake up on time.)

Still another one, the labor attaché said, informed them that he was missing his passport. This was at the last minute at the assembly point, when all paperwork has been done.

“Binibigyan namin sila ng plastic envelope para doon nila ilalagay lahat,” said Bautista in disbelief.

(We give them plastic envelops where they can put all valuables in.)

Coming back?

Cueva, who came to the UAE in 2006 and worked as a construction firm finance officer until he lost his job in 2020, said life was surreal as an illegal alien.

“Nag-TNT ako. Hindi ako makakilos ng regular, hindi ako makapaglakad ng maayos. Alam mong mali, but you have to survive,” he told Rappler.

(I went into hiding. I can’t act like nothing was wrong, I can’t go out and think everything was just fine. You know it’s wrong but you have to survive.)

Cueva said he made it in the past five years cooking and selling hot meals – lunch like sautéed lentils or adobo; afternoon snacks like glutinous rice in coconut milk. He makes AED 1 to 2 (P16.22 to P32.44) per order.

“Sampung katao, may kita na. Hindi ka pwedeng sumuko, sumuko ka gutom ka. Kung saan-saan ka maghahanap ng tutulugan mo,” said Cueva, who used to make, he said, AED 5,000 a month (P81,800).

(Ten persons buying your food and you already have something. You can’t give up, you’ll go hungry if you do, you’ll go everywhere looking for a place to sleep for the night.)

Cueva said he also learned to be a nanny, getting paid AED 700 (P11,400) a month looking after an infant.

Raised in San Mateo, Rizal, he said he had no plans of going home. “Gusto ko nang mamatay dito,” he said. (I wanted to die here.)

Asked if he would come back to Dubai, Cueva said he keeps his options open.

“Kung may oportunidad na bumalik ako at gaganda buhay ko, bakit hindi? Lessons learned, next time na mapadaan ka sa kalsada na iyon, alam mo na kung ano gagawin mo,” he said.

(If there is an opportunity to be back and my life will be better, why not? Lessons learned, next time if you passed by that road again, you’ll know what to do.)

A nanny, who was a close friend, and an MWO repatriation volunteer helped Cueva with his paperwork. He was hospitalized weeks before for a very low heart rate, registering 15 beats per minute.

Surprised repatriation

Thirty-eight-year-old Reyes of Valenzuela, Metro Manila, meanwhile said she did not know she was also up for repatriation.

“Alam ko po itong repatriation, pero hindi ko po alam na ngayong araw na ang paglipad ko,” she said. (I know about the repatriation, but I did not know that I’ll be flying today.)

Reyes accompanied a friend to the repatriation center earlier in the day, by afternoon, she was rushing home to take a shower and pack up. She came back to the center 30 minutes before bus boarding to the applause of volunteers and fellow repatriates, who were glad she made it.

Reyes said she is happy to finally be going home for a while, away from the explosions. “I’ll enjoy peace of mind. All the bombings had me stressed,” she said in a mix of English and the vernacular.

She said she will be back to her old job when things get better.

For his part, Llovido, living with his mother, aimed to look for a job while his three-month visit visa was in effect, but the war has set him back. His papers is set to expire in May this year.

Llovido, a Bulacan State University graduate in entrepreneurship and a crew at a fast food chain in the Philippines before he moved to Dubai, said he has been looking around for jobs. “Kahit ano (Whatever jobs),” he said.

But with most businesses cutting down on expenses and reducing employees, he has so far found none.

“Wala pa rin dahil sa sitwasyon,” he said. (None so far because of the situation.)

These days Llovido carries luggage and helps repatriates with their paperwork as a volunteer to keep him busy.

No work, no pay

Llovido is not making it up. These days, it’s a no-work-no-pay arrangement for most OFWs, especially those in businesses reliant on tourism – hotels, restaurants and yachting as well as other tourist-related activities like skydiving, among others.

“Ang concern ngayon ng ating mga kababayan ay tungkol naman sa kanilang trabaho sapagkat ang kumpanya…ay mahina ang negosyo, sila ay na-forced leave, may bawas sa oras ng trabaho, so pinayagan naman ng kumpanya na umuwi muna at hindi naman na-cancel ang kanilang employment visa, so kasama rin sila po sa mga pina-pauwi natin,” said Bautista.

(The concern of OFWs is their jobs where the company is having slow business, they are now on forced leave, there is deduction in the number of working hours, their company has allowed them to go home for the time being, their employment visa has not been cancelled. So, they are part of those we process for repatriation.)

Those who lost their jobs or are on no-work-no-pay arrangements continue to spend on food and their accommodation, which is why food aids have become the order of the day in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ajman with concerned Filipinos and other nationals spearheading the activity, supported by those who contribute their share – rice, noodles and coffee – to be given out.

Record-breaking repatriations

Despite the luck – and the second thoughts – of those flying home, Dubai has the highest number of repatriations as of April 17.

Official data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) showed that more than 2,000 OFWs and their dependents as well as visit visa holders have left the city since repatriation began in early March this year.

Kuwait has the second biggest number at 1,153, followed by Abu Dhabi at 1,023.

Gulf region-wise, the figure stood at more than 6,700.

Oman came in with the least number at 35 Filipinos, followed by Jeddah at 74, Lebanon at 77 and Israel at 90.

All in all, there were 5,023 OFWs, 1,343 dependents and 340 tourists repatriated.

Included were those who were in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain to visit kin and enjoy the cool weather back months ago, and who could not catch a flight home in March as air spaces were closed and commercial airlines halted operations as a consequence.

This week, Bautista said, over 500 OFWs and their dependents were flown home in four commercial flights since Monday. These included Filipinos jailed for bank loan offenses but were granted pardon during Eid al-Fitr, which marked the end of the month-long Ramadan in March.

All went home on board Emirates flight EK 344, which operates daily Manila flights. – Rappler.com

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