The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has organized a special chartered flight to bring home 341 distressed and stranded overseas Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain amid escalating Middle East tensions. The flight is scheduled to depart from Riyadh to Manila on Saturday and arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport tomorrow. The government is providing support to ensure the safe return of the OFWs.
On Saturday, March 14, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) announced that 341 distressed and stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kuwait, and Bahrain will return to the Philippines via a special chartered flight. The flight will depart from Riyadh to Manila and is expected to arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on March 15, 2026. OWWA personnel and a medical team will assist upon arrival.
OFWs from Bahrain are being helped by teams from OWWA, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and the Philippine embassies in Riyadh and Manama to safely cross land borders to Riyadh. Those from Kuwait are receiving government aid for travel clearances and border crossings to the staging area. The government is also offering welfare support, including travel documentation, temporary accommodation, transport, and other urgent needs during repatriation arrangements.
"The primary objective of this repatriation operation is to ensure the safety of our OFWs and bring them home safely to their families in the Philippines," OWWA stated on Facebook. The effort is funded by OWWA's Emergency Repatriation Fund, with additional charter flights planned for other distressed OFWs.
"Under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., OWWA led the arrangements for this charter flight to assist those wishing to return from KSA, Kuwait, and Bahrain due to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East," the agency added.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated following United States and Israel strikes on Iran on February 28, which killed the country's supreme leader. Iran has retaliated with attacks on Israel and US-allied Gulf states, extending to civilian sites and energy facilities. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates 2.4 million Filipinos live and work in the Middle East, including 813,000 in Saudi Arabia, 211,000 in Kuwait, and 973,000 in the UAE.
