A total of 179 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) benefited from an amnesty program in Oman, the Department of Labor and Employment said Friday. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the granting of amnesty for the179 OFWs paves the way for their repatriation. “The amnesty granted to the 179 paves the way for their repatriation to the Philippines,” she said on the DOLE website. Philippine Labor Attaché to Oman Romeo Young said the Oman Ministry of Manpower acted favorably on the applications of 179 workers. The amnesty period for expatriate workers in Oman ended last July 31. The amnesty allowed overstaying undocumented workers to exit Oman without paying huge fines. Young reported that since March, the Philippine embassy, Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) had repatriated 158 OFWs, including one OFW in March; 67 in April; 58 in May; 24 in June; and 8 in July. He also reported that the Oman Ministry of Labor had cancelled the applications for amnesty of 31 OFWs and had released four OFWs to new sponsors. “Immediately after the grant of amnesty, we have repatriated six minors,” he said.
