P1.2 billion spent for Middle East repatriation – DMW

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

April 19, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it has utilized P1.2 billion for the repatriation of over 6,700 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) including their dependents affected by the Middle East crisis.

“At least from the DMW side, through the AKSYON (Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFWs na Nangangailangan) Fund of P2 billion, we’ve spent P1.2 billion of which around P381 million we used for transport. So that is over 50 percent of the AKSYON Fund,” DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said at a press briefing Friday.

Cacdac said the $200 cash assistance for affected OFWs in Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates shall also be sourced from the AKSYON Fund.

“As I mentioned, our budget is P2 billion because of the additional P800 million (to be used) to maintain the delivery of services under the AKSYON Fund,” the DMW chief noted.

The AKSYON Fund provides immediate legal, medical and humanitarian assistance to distressed OFWs and their families.

Cacdac said the DMW used to give a higher financial assistance to OFWs when it was only Lebanon that was affected.

“But now, we all know that it is more than one country involved so we adjusted in terms of financial assistance we provide,” he said.

“From the DMW, it’s P20,000 that we provide. Actually $200 onsite and then another P10,000 once they’re back home. So it’s a little over P20,000 because the $200 is not just merely P10,000,” Cacdac added.

The DMW said a total of 6,706 Filipinos have been repatriated so far. These include 5,023 OFWs, their dependents and other overseas Filipinos.