31 more OFWs due from Syria

MANILA, Philippines - Another 31 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Syria, who availed themselves of the government’s offer of repatriation, are expected to arrive home today, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said the arrival of the 31 OFWs, all women, would bring the total number of Filipinos repatriated from conflict-areas in Syria to 1,082.

The OFWs will arrive on board Emirates Flight EK 334 at 9:15 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal I.

The 31 OFWs had stayed at the halfway house of the Philippine embassy in Damascus while embassy officials negotiated with Syrian authorities and their employers for the grant of exit visas.

Of the 31, five were from Homs.

The International Organization provided the tickets of the 31 OFWS for Migration in Damascus. The OFWs were considered victims of trafficking or migrant workers fleeing the unrest in Syria.