The first batch of overseas Filipino workers to be repatriated in line with the contingency measures for the impending war in the Middle East is expected to arrive within the week.
At least 40 Filipino workers who ran away from their Arab employers and sought refuge in the Philippine embassy in Kuwait are scheduled to return home anytime this week from Kuwait, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday.
DOLE Information and Publication Service (IPS) chief Nicon Fameronag said the 40 OFWs returning from Kuwait are among the 177 overstaying OFWs there. These workers, Fameronag added, now have ready documents for immediate repatriation.
He also said that last week, nine OFWs detained for minor offenses in Kuwait have been repatriated through the efforts of the Middle East Preparedness Team (MEPT) headed by retired Gen. Roy Cimatu.
Fameronag said Cimatu personally paid the $120 fine of OFW Gilberto Aguinaldo, who had been sentenced to a three-year prison term for a traffic violation.
Cimatu’s team negotiated for the immediate release of the nine OFWs detained in Kuwait to ensure their safety in case the tension between the United States and Iraq escalates into a full-blown war, Fameronag said.
Cimatu earlier recommended the immediate repatriation of the 219 runaway OFWs currently staying at the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait.
"The team recommended the repatriation of the runaway workers so they would not add to the confusion of relocating thousands of OFWs in case of war in the Middle East," Labor Undersecretary Manuel Imson said.
Fameronag said the Philippine government has already identified the relocation site for OFWs likely to be affected by the impending Middle East conflict.
A building located in Nuawaiseeb, which has complete facilities for basic needs, has been identified and (is) now being prepared for the temporary shelter of Filipino workers in case of war," Fameronag said.
DOLE estimated that at least 6,000 OFWs staying near the Kuwaiti border with Iraq are likely to be relocated to safer ground.
He said today, Jan. 28, Jan. 30 and Feb. 15 – the expected completion of deployment of American troops to the Middle East – are among the dates the MEPT recommended the government put under tight watch.