Repatriation of OFWs in Syria
Some 1,400 Filipino migrant workers in Syria have expressed willingness to return to the Philippines amid the worsening peace and order situation in that country.
They were part of the 5,600 Filipino workers overseas (OFWs) who registered with the Philippine embassy in Damascus.
The Syrian government said there were some 10,000 OFWs there but the Philippine government said there are more.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued the call for registration because majority of OFWs in Syria were unaccounted by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
“May katagalan minsan sa pagpapauwi dahil dapat ay i-release muna sila ng mga employer nila para ma-bigyan sila nung tinatawag na exit visa. Matagal na negosasyon. Kinakausap namin ‘yung mga employers nila bago sila pauwiin,” DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said on Monday.
Around 600 have already been repatriated with the arrival in Manila on Saturday of another batch comprising 56 workers.
Conejos said all of the repatriated OFWs were women who worked as domestic helpers in different areas of Syria.
Majority of them have not gone through the ideal process of recruitment, which posed greater challenges for their repatriation.
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