39 OFWs arrive from Syria

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

SOME 39 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from conflict-stricken Syria arrived in Manila Tuesday in response to the crisis alert level four earlier raised there, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

In a text message, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said that six of the repatriates came from Homs, one of the areas most badly affected by the conflict along with Daraa, Idlib and Hama.

The Filipinos arrived at 4:20 p.m. via flight EK332.

Earlier this year, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario went to Damascus to enjoin Filipinos there to avail of the Philippine government’s repatriation program.

Under the program, the Philippine government will be shouldering the cost of the repatriation. (CVB/Sunnex)