DFA to prioritize pregnant women, OFWs with expiring visas for UAE repatriation

MANILA/DUBAI - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Sunday said it would prioritize the repatriation of pregnant Filipinos and those with expiring visas from the United Arab Emirates.

According to a News TV Live report, the DFA prepared chartered repatriation flights for UAE overseas Filipino workers on July 12, 17, 27, and 30.

Aside from pregnant women and those with expiring visas, the government will also prioritize the evacuation of families with children and medical patients with no insurance in the United Arab Emirates.

The pending requests of stranded Filipinos to be accommodated on the repatriation flights have so far reached 3,000. Most of them were made by OFWs whose residency visas have been canceled as their employment contracts already expired, thereby making them illegals if they are not able to leave UAE or change their stay status at a prescribed time frame.

They could address their predicament by paying overstay fines – AED125 for the first day of overstaying and AED25 from the second day onwards – and in the process incur more expenses for extended stay at the rented flats, and food. This, OFWs said, would eat away on whatever they have saved for home.

Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes told GMA News Online they were reviewing the requests according to priority to determine who flies first.

“People will just need to fill out the form and it automatically goes into our list. We will be sorting out those with medical conditions, those with pregnancies, families with children, and those in danger of overstaying or incurring immigration fines,” Cortes said.

He added, “The July flights are part of the regular government efforts. Definitely it is very, very welcome.”

The Philippine government arranged chartered flights for Filipinos in UAE due to the existing travel ban there.

The Inter-Agency Task Force implemented a travel ban on incoming travelers from seven countries, including the UAE, to prevent the entry of the more contagious Delta COVID-19 variant. The travel ban started in May and continued to be extended until July 15.

The July 12 flights was already fully booked, according to an advisory from the Philippine Embassy and the Consulate General. Cortes said bookings for the July 12 flight have been filled by OFWs staying in Abu Dhabi.

There are approximately 350 passengers per flight.

Cortes added that there was also a July 5 flight but this was coordinated by manning agencies for stranded seafarers. 

Three repatriation flights were made last month – June 1, 16 and 30 – all through Philippine Airlines flight PR 8659.

The repatriations were being done in coordination with the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) by virtue of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Philippine Republic Act 11519). —DVM/KG, GMA News