Repatriation in Dubai: 325 Filipinos in UAE ‘go home for good’

  DUBAI – A total of 325 Filipinos were repatriated from the UAE on Wednesday (June 16) as part of a government initiative to bring home distressed Filipinos in the emirates. Hundreds of Filipinos were seen at the Early Check-in section of the Dubai International Airport when Expatmedia.net exclusively covered the repatriation efforts. Watch it here:
  LIVE - Filipinos prepare for repatriation at Dubai International Airport Posted by Expat Media on Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Of the 325 Filipinos on Wednesday’s repatriation flight, 129 came from Abu Dhabi and 196 came from Dubai and the northern Emirates. “Maybe this is it, the right time to go home for good,” a Filipina waiting to check in to the repatriation flight told Expatmedia.net. She said she is facing a family emergency. Currently, the Philippines is imposing an extended travel ban on passengers from the UAE and six other countries until June 30, however, passengers on repatriation flights are excluded from the ban and can return to the Philippines. Passengers on Wednesday's repatriation flight included those who lost their jobs in the UAE, distressed Filipinos, deportees, pregnant women, children and people with medical conditions. The Philippine Airlines flight was chartered by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The repatriation was coordinated by the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai. A team from the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, led by Consul Cynthia Pelayo, along with officials from the Philippine Consulate, Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) were on hand to see the departure of the repatriates from Dubai International Airport. Philippine Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes, Philippine Labor Attache Felicitas Bay and Philippine Embassy Abu Dhabi’s Assistance to Nationals case officer Coleen Marie Jariol were among those at the airport to ensure that the repatriates have a smooth trip. “I’m glad that some of our kababayans are going home… Hopefully the time that they’ve spent in could be used for them to build better experiences for them as professionals and to build better lives back home,” Cortes told Expatmedia.net. The repatriates will be received on arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila by the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, DFA, DSWD, OWWA and other agencies. This was the second repatriation flight to the Philippines this week, following a private-led repatriation of 290 seafarers stranded in Dubai on Monday.

OFWs on repatriation flight looking forward to ‘fresh start’

One of the repatriates on Wednesday’s flight included an elderly woman from Cavite who said she was having mixed emotions as she will be leaving her daughter and grandchild behind, but is also looking forward to “going out when it is allowed, and eating all kinds of fruits” when she arrives in the Philippines. Expatmedia.net also spoke with a Filipino from Bulacan who was sending off her wife. “I am waiting for the easing of the travel ban on the UAE ,” he said, referring to the extended travel ban on incoming passengers from the UAE. Currently, all travelers coming to the Philippines from UAE, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Oman will not be allowed entry until June 30. However, travelers on repatriation flights are exempted from the ban. A Filipina who lost her job as a clerk for a hypermarket in Sharjah was also among those on the repatriation flight. The Albay native said she is excited to surprise her family with her unannounced homecoming. Another jobless Filipina said she has been waiting to return home since May. She will visit the grave of her father who died last year and will console herself by eating “binatog, banana cue and street barbecue”. Two pregnant Filipinas said they are looking forward to building their family in the Philippines. The repatriates are expected to undergo a 14-day quarantine at a government-appointed facility on their arrival in the Philippines. PIA/Expat Media

In pictures

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