DMW: Gov't eyeing chartered flights to repatriate OFWs from Lebanon

The Philippine government is considering chartered flights to repatriate overseas Filipino workers in Lebanon amid the offensive launched by Israel against the Hezbollah group, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said Wednesday.

It was reported that the OFW repatriation has been delayed due to flight cancellations.

''The challenge is that we do not have flights ‘no. The supposed September 25 flight which will facilitate the repatriation of 15 of our OFWs did not push through because the flights were cancelled due to the conflict and as a consequence, we are trying to provide for chartered flights,'' Olalia said at a Palace press conference.

''We’re talking to some of airline companies so that the chartered flights will be able to accommodate, for example, no less than 300 Overseas Filipino Workers from Beirut,'' he added.

Olalia also said the DMW is studying other routes, apart from air routes, to repatriate affected Filipinos.

''We will be assessing the sea and the land routes should the case or the situation there worsens,'' Olalia said.

The Israeli military said early Wednesday that it was carrying out air strikes in Beirut against targets of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

A total of 430 OFWs and 28 dependents have been repatriated from Lebanon so far through the joint efforts of the DMW, OWWA and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Olalia also said the deployment of OFWs to Lebanon is no longer allowed as Alert Level 3 was already raised.

''When Alert Level 3 is imposed, there is voluntary repatriation, and under this stage, we no longer allow either direct hire or a returning worker to go back there,'' he said. — RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News