MANILA — Two hundred overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Kuwait are scheduled to arrive in Manila on Monday evening.
Onboard Qatar Airways flight QR 928, they are expected to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 10:40 p.m.
The Philippine government has implemented a deployment ban to Kuwait since last month due to reports that OFWs there were experiencing maltreatment and abuse.
One Filipino domestic worker in Kuwait, Joanna Demafelis, was killed and her body was found in a freezer.
President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to work on the OFWs’ repatriation.
President Duterte has also asked two local carriers, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific (CEB), to mount special flights and provide free flights for these distressed OFWs.
Based on the DFA’s estimate, close to 3,000 OFWs from Kuwait have been repatriated since February, including those scheduled to arrive tonight (March 12, 2018).
Each repatriated OFW is entitled to receive financial assistance from the Philippine government. (Ma. Cristina Arayata/PNA)
