MANILA, Philippines — After being freed along with other hostages by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Filipino caregiver Gelienor Pacheco may return home and be reunited with his family by December, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Pacheco, a 33-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW), was among the more than 200 civilians seized by marauding Hamas militants in Israel near the border of Gaza on Oct. 7. He was freed along with 23 hostages comprising the initial batch during the four-day truce.
Another Filipino, Noralyn Babadilla, is believed to be still among the hostages.
The government is providing financial and other assistance to Filipinos who have returned home from Israel since hostilities broke out in the Middle Eastern country.
More than 200 OFWs and children have been repatriated from Israel since Palestinian rebels launched the October attack.