Thirty-seven mostly female overseas Filipino workers (OFW) from Kuwait and Jeddah arrived in Manila Tuesday, officials said. In a statement posted on the website of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), two batches of workers have been repatriated after their foreign employers issued them clearances to leave. The first batch of 19 workers from Kuwait arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on board flight KU411 at about 4:30 P.M. The second batch,composed of 18 OFWS from Jeddah, arrrived at 5:30 P.M. on board Flight MH 802. The repatriated workers were deported either due to expired visas, or were runaways who were reported by their foreign employers, OWWA administrator Carmelita Dimzon said. With their status transformed into illegal residents, runaway workers could only fly home after their employers issue exit clearances, the OWWA statement said. It added that runaway workers could be stranded for weeks or months while negotiations for clearances from their employers were ongoing. The Philippine embassies, Philippine Overseas Labor Offices, and OWWA welfare officers assisted the workers in negotiations and accommodated them at workers' resource centers. Upon their arrival, workers may stay at OWWA's Halfway House at the OWWA Center in Pasay City while waiting for domestic transportation back to their provinces. The workers will also be provided medical services and counseling as part of the repatriation service, OWWA explained. Meanwhile, 25 more OFWs from Jeddah were expected to arrive on April 1. The were part of hundreds of Filipinos sent home over the past months.
