20 Filipinos arrive home after being stranded at Dubai airport

20 Filipinos arrive home after being stranded at Dubai airport

  DUBAI – A total of 20 Filipinos who were stranded at the Dubai airport arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday (November 2), Expatmedia.net has learned. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) told Expatmedia.net that nine of the Filipinos came from Oman, while six were from Jeddah, three from Riyadh and one from Bahrain. A lone Filipino "was held upon entry to Dubai on October 30 due to pending immigration case", according to OWWA, whose Dubai team assisted the Filipinos at Dubai airport. The group flew on Cebu Pacific flight 5J005 at 1am on Tuesday, landing at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 2pm on the same day, one of the passengers told Expatmedia.net. The flight was arranged by Philippine officials in Dubai as part of humanitarian efforts to bring home the Filipinos stranded at Dubai International Airport Terminal 1. Expatmedia.net first reported about the group’s plight and alerted the Philippine Embassy, Philippine Consulate, and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. Oman-based Owen N., one of the passengers, praised officials for their help and thanked Expat Media for reporting about their plight. “The Philippine consular staff in Dubai swiftly acted on our case and took care of us, and even paid for our meals. A big thank you also to Expat Media. If not for you, no one would have known about our case,” Owen said in Filipino. Owen said the group got stranded in Dubai when their Cebu-bound Philippine Airlines flight PR0659 was cancelled on October 31. Philippine Airlines also cancelled flights on November 1 and 2, citing restrictions by local authorities. “An airline representative just told us to rebook our tickets and wait for the next flight. We are exhausted from the long wait. We have slept in the airport since arriving here,” Owen told Expatmedia.net on Monday. Nine of the passengers were Filipinos from Oman, while the rest were Filipinos from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. They were unable to leave the Dubai airport since they did not have entry visas. Owen said his group was not alerted on time about the flight cancellation, leaving them stranded and unprepared for expenses in Dubai. “My travel agency said they only received an email alert about the flight cancellation at 5pm on October 31. We arrived in Dubai from Oman at 11am on October 31,” he said. The group became distraught as bills piled up due to their unexpected delay in Dubai. “We are running out of money to pay for our meals here. The food is expensive at the airport. Some of us have to get a PCR test, too,” he said on Monday. "We have three elderly people stranded here. They're exhausted and haven't been able to sleep properly," Owen told Expatmedia.net, "We hope authorities can help us. We just want to go home to our families who are waiting for us." As of Tuesday, Owen and 19 other Filipinos have arrived in Cebu, Philippines. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring their luggage, which airline staff reportedly suggested to be left behind in Dubai for Philippine Airlines to deliver when their operations return to normal. Philippine Airlines cancelled flights between Manila and Dubai on November 1 and 2, citing restrictions by local authorities. On October 31, Philippine Airlines also cancelled its Manila-Dubai-Cebu flights. OWWA Dubai, in a statement to Expatmedia.net, also confirmed that Philippine Airlines cancelled the flights due to "Philippine government restrictions and regulatory issues". “We urgently appeal to the Philippine and Dubai authorities to work towards resolving the situation so that we may again be able to operate our planned schedule of flights to and from Dubai and make use of all our seats onboard each flight, for the best interests of our passengers,” according to Philippine Airlines in a statement. The Philippine carrier said it has notified affected passengers, and are “assessing other alternatives, such as using alternate gateways, so that we can transport the affected passengers in the coming days”. According to Philippine Airlines, affected passengers can opt to rebook their flight, convert their ticket to a travel voucher or refund their ticket without facing penalties. PIA/Expat Media

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