A SPECIAL chartered flight carrying 342 Filipino workers and their families from across the Gulf region recently landed at Villamor Air Base in the Philippines.
Among them were 89 passengers from Bahrain. The rest travelled from other neighbouring countries, including Kuwait and Qatar.
The contingent, which included 26 dependents, boarded from Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport, close to Riyadh.
This is the fourth chartered flight arranged for expatriates who wished to return to the Philippines amidst the ongoing regional tensions. Earlier, 38 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were repatriated from Bahrain.
One of the latests travellers, Nanette Pandan, said the recent uncertainty and continuing Iranian missile and drone attacks had taken a toll on her mental health. On securing a flight back home, a relieved Ms Pandan said: “I slept well for the first time in three weeks. I hardly managed to rest due to the loud noises.”
The 42-year-old Surigao City native, who has lived and worked as a nurse in Bahrain for the last 12 years, first visited the Philippine Embassy to update her employment contract and then visited the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) desk to ask about the option of voluntary repatriation.
On March 12, she received a call from the embassy regarding an opportunity to return to her home country. She submitted her passport and other required documents and travelled to Riyadh with a transit visa on March 20. There, she stayed at a hotel for two nights, with other fellow passengers, before boarding the flight two days later.
Prior to their departure, the OFWs were helped by personnel from the Department of Migrant Workers – Migrant Workers Office (DMW-MWO), OWWA, and the Rapid Response Team, to assist crossing the land border.
Throughout the repatriation process, embassy personnel, particularly those from the MWO and OWWA, provided comprehensive support, including medicine, food, hotel accommodation and even assistance with damaged luggage if needed.
On arrival in the Philippines, Ms Pandan and her fellow repatriates received financial assistance from OWWA, as well as temporary accommodation and tickets for their connecting provincial flights.
“I had heard a few negative things online but when I interacted with the Philippine Embassy staff directly, I found them approachable and genuinely attentive to overseas workers’ needs,” said the former Gudaibiya resident, recounting her experience.
Ms Pandan revealed that she initially hesitated heading home using the repatriation programme due to concerns that she might need an exit visa and risk losing the opportunity to return to her employer. However, she changed her mind after she learned from official sources that OFWs could return to their employers after the conflict, provided their visas remained valid.
Ms Pandan, sadly, had to leave her pet dog Ceasar with friends who offered to foster the mutt, but remains optimistic and hopes to return once the conflict ends.
Speaking of her next plan, she said: “I want to explore new opportunities, whether it is finding a new job or starting my own business, so I can build a more stable future.”
The GDN previously reported, Gulf Air – Bahrain’s national carrier – repatriated more than 400 transit passengers after it activated contingency measures to support passengers affected by the temporary closure of the nation’s airspace with accommodation, meals and alternate travel arrangements.
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