Nine brave Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Lebanon safely arrived back home on Saturday afternoon at NAIA Terminal 1. They are part of the 442 Filipinos who have returned since October 2023 when the war between Israel and the Hamas group, allied with Hezbollah in Lebanon, began.
To support their return, each OFW received P75,000 from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Aksyon Fund and another P75,000 from the Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA). On top of that, they were given P20,000 in livelihood assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and training vouchers for new skills from TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority).
The Philippine government is encouraging Filipinos to come home due to the growing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. So far, 571 Filipinos have voluntarily decided to return. There are still 350 Filipinos going through the process of repatriation, with 178 staying in shelters in Beirut, and 221 more have already booked tickets to come home soon.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has kept Lebanon at Alert Level 3, which allows Filipinos to leave voluntarily. If the situation worsens, the government may raise it to Alert Level 4, requiring mandatory evacuation.
There are around 11,000 Filipinos still in Lebanon, and the government is continuing its efforts to bring them back to safety.
