MANILA, Philippines - Forty-five overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Lebanon who signed up for voluntary repatriation arrived in Manila yesterday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The group - with three infants in tow - was repatriated from the Middle East using the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) funds. These were OFWs who ran away from their employers, received ill treatment, or whose contracts have lapsed.
Another batch of 105 OFWs is arriving this morning.
While waiting for their exit clearances in Lebanon, the OFWs stayed at the Filipino Workers Resource Center. Upon their arrival in Manila, they were housed at the dormitory of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration while travel to their hometowns was being arranged.
During the briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the DFA reiterated that the deployment ban to Lebanon stays until the Philippines and Lebanon sign a memorandum of understanding establishing the mechanisms for the protection of rights and the promotion of welfare of Filipino workers. – Pia Lee-Brago