ILOILO City — A total of 67 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Western Visayas stranded by the escalating Middle East crisis have been repatriated by the government as of March 14, with more expected to follow amid growing safety concerns, authorities said.
Data from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 6 showed that the repatriates, recorded from March 4 to March 14, included 28 Ilonggos from Iloilo province. Many of them were already scheduled to return home but were caught in the crisis, forcing the cancellation of their flights.
“Ginapamangkot gid namon kasan-o kamo nagpuli? Nga-a nagpuli kamo? Ang iban nagahambal nga may ticket lang only nga na-stranded sila. So, meaning, they already have the plan nga mapuli,” said Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Iloilo Province head Cynthia Dario.
Dario warned that more repatriations are likely, noting that at least 63 OFWs from Iloilo province alone have already reached out to PESO seeking assistance to return home due to fears for their safety.
As part of its monitoring and response efforts, PESO Iloilo Province has profiled 13,779 OFWs across the province as of March 16, with data gathered through barangay PESO coordinators, municipal PESO managers, OFW organizations, and dedicated hotline numbers.
The provincial government continues to operate multiple hotlines to assist distressed workers, including 998-990-5663, 0917-754-3833, 0910-005-4682, 0916-758-3156, 0995-931-0922, 0917-881-7808, and 0961-680-4428.
Dario assured that assistance efforts will remain active as long as the crisis persists.
Here’s the breakdown of 13,779 profiled OFWs across Iloilo Province:
* Ajuy (509), Alimodian (304), Anilao (56)
* Badiangan (279), Balasan (325), Banate (300), Barotac Nuevo (704), Barotac Viejo (87), Batad (214), Bingawan (72)
* Cabatuan (721), Calinog (27), Carles (129), Concepcion (403)
* Dingle (436), Dueñas (434), Dumangas (727)
* Estancia (325)
* Guimbal (384), Igbaras (197)
* Janiuay (409)
* Lambunao (434), Leganes (104), Lemery (480), Leon (178)
* Maasin (522), Miag-ao (110), Mina (230)
* New Lucena (366)
* Oton (366)
* Passi City (635), Pavia (240), Pototan (648)
* San Dionisio (419), San Enrique (46), San Miguel (176), San Rafael (128), Santa Barbara (176), Sara (447)
* Tigbauan (438)
* Zarraga (316)/PN
