MANILA— A total of 99 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Bahay Kalinga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have returned to the Philippines, with another 249 scheduled for repatriation from Oct. 21 to 26, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Tuesday.

The latest batch of 15 OFWs arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Tuesday aboard Gulf Air Flight GF154 after traveling by land from Riyadh to Dammam to catch their flight home.

An OWWA welfare officer and other personnel from OWWA Riyadh accompanied the group and assisted them throughout the journey.

The latest arrival brought the total number of repatriated OFWs from Oct. 19 to 20 to 99, including the first 34 who arrived on Oct. 19 and another 50 who reached the country Tuesday morning after traveling from Riyadh to Al Qassim.

OWWA’s Repatriation and Assistance Division continues to assist returning workers through airport assistance, transportation, temporary accommodation, and domestic flight arrangements for those traveling onward to their home provinces, depending on their needs.

Another 50 OFWs are expected to arrive Tuesday night at around 10:20 p.m. aboard a Qatar Airways flight. Their repatriation is being funded through the Aksyon Fund of the Migrant Workers Office.

Meanwhile, 249 more OFWs have confirmed flight bookings for their return from Oct. 21 to 26, supported by OWWA’s supplemental Emergency Repatriation Fund.

Based on the latest schedule from OWWA Riyadh, the next batches are expected to arrive as follows:

• Oct. 21: 50 OFWs traveling from Riyadh to Al Qassim, aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR928.
• Oct. 23: 49 OFWs traveling from Riyadh to Dammam, aboard Gulf Air Flight GF154.
• Oct. 25: A total of 110 OFWs in two groups arriving from Dammam and Al Qassim, aboard Gulf Air Flight GF154 and Qatar Airways Flight QR928.
• Oct. 26: Another 40 OFWs from Al Qassim, aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR928.

OWWA and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Migrant Workers Offices in Saudi Arabia, are arranging the workers’ travel, including land transportation to alternative airports in Al Qassim and Dammam.

The repatriation operations are supported by the supplemental Emergency Repatriation Fund, which covers the return of affected OFWs and related welfare assistance.

The government said the efforts are in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize the safety and welfare of overseas Filipino workers under the Saving Lives pillar of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Assistance Program.