MONTHS after the hostilities escalated in the Middle East, the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) looking to be repatriated have gone down.
This was according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), which said the number of requests for repatriation from OFWs has slowed down.
"The repatriation efforts continue. But, in most parts, in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, the requests for repatriation are subsiding," said Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac in a press briefing on Sunday, June 7, 2026.
So far, the DMW said there have been a total of 10,178 repatriated Filipinos from the Middle East, in which 8,034 are OFWs and 1,782 are dependents.
He said the pending repatriation from the Middle East is only from Kuwait, where there was a recent attack in its airport.
"Because there are Kuwait attacks, there is still a request for repatriation. The next batch is the 162 OFWs from Kuwait crossing to Saudi Arabia. They will fly out of Saudi Arabia," said Cacdac.
Relative to it, the DMW head reported that three OFWs were among those injured during the drone attack at the Kuwait International Airport last week.
He disclosed that three OFWs working in the airport sustained minor injuries during the attack, and have since recovered.
"There were no Filipino fatalities during the attack. There was a sole fatality but not of Filipino nationality. However, three OFWs were injured. But the good news is they are now out of harm's way," said Cacdac.
He said one was admitted at a hospital after getting treated for smoke inhalation, and has since been discharged.
The other two, he related, were out-patients after one sustained injuries in the arms and scalp that required stitches while the other one inhaled smoke.
Earlier, one person was killed while more than 60 were left injured when an Iranian drone struck Kuwait's international airport. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
