MANILA — The Philippine government has helped 90 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including some dependents, return home amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Monday, with more repatriations planned.

In a press briefing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Sunday evening, Migrant Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the government is preparing additional repatriation efforts, including chartered flights.

Of the 90 repatriates, 33 had their plane tickets purchased by the government, while the rest had preexisting tickets but were stranded due to flight disruptions.

“And this flight is no different, especially in the context of the current conflict in the Middle East, and we welcome those who had a hard time coming home or were stranded or were worried about whether they could go home or not. So, finally, they are here,” Cacdac said.

He added that all repatriates received either pre-repatriation or post-repatriation assistance, including temporary accommodation, transportation support, and financial aid, regardless of who paid for their tickets.

“So let’s be clear, many of them still had their tickets with them, yung mga na-cancel ang previous flights, or they had bookings prior to this flight na inorder na nila. So in other words, sila sumagot ng kanilang flight ticket. But 33 of them were sponsored by the DMW and the OWWA. Now, for everybody, we gave either pre-repatriation assistance and most of them post-repatriation assistance,” Cacdac explained.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Chief Patricia Yvonne Caunan said most of the repatriates came from the United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while others were in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The group includes professionals in engineering, teaching, caregiving, sales and retail, domestic service, architecture, design, and manufacturing.

“I would say a lot of them are, some have contracts, end of contract now, but most of them are still employed. So maybe they hope that when the conflict ceases, they can return to their employers,” Caunan said.

The youngest repatriate was a one-month-old infant, with several children and senior citizens also among the arrivals.

Cacdac said total assistance to Filipinos affected by the conflict now exceeds 400, with the government identifying exit routes in eight countries for evacuation, though details are withheld for security reasons. Limited airspace in some countries, including Jordan, has required alternative routes via land borders.

“And what we do is that we provide certain, we have identified in each of these eight countries that are involved, certain points of exit where OFWs could be remunerated to safer ground and eventually flow back to the Middle East. I won’t mention these particular points of exit,” Cacdac said.

He assured that Philippine government personnel are stationed at these exit points to assist OFWs as they move to safer locations. He also said chartered flights will be announced in the coming days to accelerate repatriation efforts.