Stranded OFWs at Naia may get P5,000 cash aid from gov’t

Stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) may get a cash assistance worth P5,000 from the government.

Flight delays and cancellations have grounded more than a hundred flights at Naia after a Xiamen Air passenger plane skidded off the runway on August 17.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said affected OFWs may get their cash aids from Wednesday afternoon (August 22) and until Friday afternoon (August 24).

The financial assistance would be provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs (OMWA), Cayetano said.

“We are releasing a reasonable amount from our Assistance to Nationals Fund as we understand that a number of our kababayan remain stranded and do not have funds to meet their daily needs,” the DFA chief said in a statement.

Sarah Lou Arriola, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers, said affected OFWs may personally claim the assistance at the OMWA offices at the third floor of the DFA Building on Roxas Boulevard and at NAIA Terminals 1, 2, and 3.

The assistance may be claimed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 23, and Friday, August 24.

“Those claiming the financial assistance should present their airline ticket showing original date of departure; the reissued ticket showing new date of departure; employment contract; and overseas employment certificate,” Arriola said.

Meanwhile, Cayetano said Philippine embassies and consulates abroad are ready to issue certifications and make representations with foreign employers if needed to explain the delay in the arrival of their Filipino employees. /ee

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