Inanunsyo ng Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) nitong Linggo, Hunyo 21, na dinagdagan ng aabot sa ₱3 bilyong pondo ang repatriation at reintegration program ng Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) para sa Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) na nasa Gitnang Silangan.

Batay sa ulat ng OES, na ibinahagi nila sa kanilang Facebook page, sinabi nilang ito ay nakabase sa direktiba ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.

“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the release of an additional ₱3 billion to boost the Department of Migrant Workers’ repatriation and reintegration program for OFWs displaced by the Middle East conflict,” saad ng OES.

Nagbigay rin ng pahayag si Executive Secretary (ES) Ralph Recto kaugnay dito.

“The fund augmentation will finance the whole “repatriation chain, from post- departure assistance, to flights, to reintegration,” saad ni Recto.

Aniya “War or not, there are Filipinos in extreme distress that we should bring home.”

“If you will recall, these flights became medevacs for sick Filipinos as well. The DMW, through the brilliant leadership of Secretary Hans Cacdac, brought medical personnel on board to care for them,” dagdag pa niya.

Paliwanag ni ES Recto, dinagdagan ng Pangulo ang pondo sapagkat ayaw nito ang “mere airport-to-airport thing” pagdating sa naturang programa.

“Ang utos nya ay hindi pwedeng paglapag dito, bahala na kayo. Ang gusto ng Pangulo, may hatid sa probinsya sa lubhang nangangailangan, at higit sa lahat mga economic opportunities,” ani Recto.

Batay sa pinakahuling datos ng DMW, as of June 17, aabot na sa 10,446 na mga Pilipino sa Middle East—OFW, dependents, at stranded—ang ligtas na nakauwi sa bansa sa tulong ng repatriation at reintegration program ng pamahalaan.

MAKI-BALITA: Higit 10k Pinoys, ligtas nang nakauwi mula sa Middle East-Balita