Over 11,000 OFWs back from Middle East

MANILA, Philippines — Repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) hit more than 11,000 with the latest arrival of 322 household service workers and their dependents from Kuwait last week.

The OFWs from Kuwait were mostly overstaying HSWs whose work visas have expired but continued to stay, work or have gotten married in Kuwait.

According to migrant expert Manny Geslani, deployment to the Middle East will stay flat for the next few months as the threat of war hangs in the air with both the US and Iran failing to agree on peace talks and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz wreaking havoc on the world’s economy.

The Department of Migrant Workers reported a drop in the deployment of OFWs as many applicants voluntarily backed out of their job offers or delayed their departure.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac noted that this decline is primarily driven by heightened worker caution amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and security concerns in the Middle East.