MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced on Saturday the return of 60 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) along with two infants from Israel.
This marks the fourth batch of Filipinos coming home to the Philippines due to the ongoing conflict.
During the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said the repatriation is the result of cooperation among DMW, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Philippine Embassy in Tel-Aviv.
Among the 60 OFWs, 32 work in hotels and 28 are caregivers.
“This will bring the total to 119 OFWs plus four infants. That brings us to a total of 123 by Monday,” Cacdac said.
The conflict between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas has led to about 185 Filipinos requesting repatriation.
Additional repatriation requests for around 65 to 70 Filipinos are still pending, Cacdac said.
Returning OFWs will also receive a repatriation assistance package of P50,000 each from OWWA to aid their transition back to life in the Philippines.
Israel remains under Alert Level 2, which restricts non-essential movement for Filipinos and suspends the deployment of overseas Filipino workers.
There are around 30,000 Filipinos in Israel, with the majority living or working in areas located outside the southern region near the Gaza Strip.