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Christine Boton - The Philippine Star
April 18, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — More than 6,700 overseas Filipinos have been repatriated from the Middle East so far as the government continues to expand assistance programs amid ongoing regional tensions, the Department of Migrant Workers reported yesterday.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said a total of 6,706 Filipinos have been repatriated to date, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents.
“As of today, 6,706 individuals have been repatriated, of whom 5,023 are overseas Filipino workers, while the remainder are dependents and other overseas Filipinos,” Cacdac said.
Of the total, 6,366 are OFWs and their dependents, while 340 are classified as other overseas Filipinos. Most returnees came from the United Arab Emirates, followed by Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with additional arrivals from Lebanon, Israel and Oman.
Cacdac said more arrivals are expected, including 181 returnees scheduled to arrive today from several countries in the region.
“With continuing repatriation efforts, we expect the total to reach nearly 6,900 by tomorrow and likely exceed 7,000 by next week,” he said.
Dubai recorded the highest number of returnees at 2,048, followed by Kuwait with 1,153 and Abu Dhabi with 1,023. Other repatriations included 700 from Qatar, 689 from Bahrain and 684 from Riyadh. Smaller groups arrived from Al Khobar (133), Israel (90), Lebanon (77), Jeddah (74) and Oman (35).
Aid and services
The DMW reported that it has provided 30,587 on-site services to affected OFWs, including financial assistance to 4,502 individuals, food assistance to 17,287 and medical assistance to 2,305.
To support these efforts, the agency recently received an additional P800 million for financial assistance, transportation and airfare for repatriated workers.
Cacdac said the department is expanding the distribution of financial aid, including a $200 cash assistance for workers affected by the crisis.
“We are now in full implementation of our financial assistance program and will further expand the distribution of the $200 aid to affected workers,” he said.
Labor Undersecretary Jainal Rasul Jr. said the agency has streamlined application procedures to make the assistance more accessible.
“Due to the ongoing conflict and regional tensions, many OFWs have experienced job loss, reduced income or work disruptions. The department has simplified the application process to facilitate access to the $200 financial assistance,” Rasul said.
Applicants are required to submit a request form, proof of overseas employment and documents showing loss of income or employment. Self-declaration and certification from Filipino community organizations are also accepted.
The assistance covers OFWs in 10 countries in the Middle East, including Jordan and Iran.
