THE Philippine government has arranged chartered flights to bring home Filipinos from several conflict-affected areas in the Middle East, the Malacañang said Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
In a media interview in New York, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is coordinating the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families through government-arranged flights and other travel assistance.
Castro said 16 OFWs from Tel Aviv in Israel traveled by land to the southern Israeli city of Eilat and crossed into Egypt through the Taba Border Crossing. They will then take a flight from Cairo to Muscat and they are expected to arrive in Manila on the evening of March 11.
Another group composed of 20 OFWs and nine dependents traveled from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Oman via the Khatmat-Malaha Border Crossing.
After crossing into Oman, they will proceed to Muscat and board a flight to Manila scheduled to arrive at 9:30 p.m. on March 10.
In the UAE, the government also secured commercial flights for OFWs and their dependents traveling from Dubai through Emirates.
Castro said the DMW is also arranging flights for Filipino repatriates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the earliest departure scheduled on March 14.
The repatriation efforts are being funded through the Emergency Repatriation Fund of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, an attached agency of the DMW.
Over 400 Filipinos have already returned to the Philippines since tensions escalated in parts of the Middle East two weeks ago.
Castro said the government remains focused on ensuring the safety and welfare of Filipinos abroad amid ongoing instability in the region. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)