MANILA— More than 100 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will arrive in Manila on Sunday under the amnesty program of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.
The second batch, composed of 117 repatriates, brings to 217 the number of Filipinos who availed themselves of the amnesty granted by the Arab state.
According to Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato, the latest batch from Dubai and the Northern Emirates are scheduled to arrive in Manila at 8:45 a.m. on board Philippine Airlines Flight 659.
“The repatriates will be accompanied by Vice Consul Elizabeth Picar Ramos of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai,” he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs shouldered the exit fees, penalties, and plane tickets of the returning workers and is also set provide them with PHP5,000 cash assistance upon arrival.
The first batch of 100 repatriates arrived on Aug. 16, 2018.
According to Deputy Consul General Renato Dueñas Jr., the Consulate General in Dubai and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi continue to encourage qualified Filipinos to take advantage of the amnesty program, which will end on Oct. 31, 2018. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA)