Filipino repatriation delayed; OFWs in Qatar told to shelter in place

Migrant Workers Secretary  Hans Leo Cacdac—NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The arrival of 31 Filipinos from the Middle East was delayed on Tuesday morning due to the closure of Qatari airspace, according to Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac.

In a Facebook post, Cacdac said their commercial repatriation flight from Doha—carrying 31 Overseas Filipino Workers from Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and Qatar—was delayed.

“We were asked to deplane and stay safely inside the terminal at Doha Hamad International Airport,” he added.

Cacdac and the repatriates were scheduled to arrive in the Philippines at 8:30 a.m. and were expected to face the media for a briefing. However, no updates have been posted regarding their revised arrival time.

READ: Trump says Israel and Iran agree to ‘total ceasefire’

The development followed Iran’s limited missile strike on a U.S. military base in Qatar, launched in retaliation for the American bombing of its nuclear sites.

READ: Iran launches missiles at US military base in Qatar

President Donald Trump said there were no U.S. casualties, downplaying the attack as a “very weak response” and noting that Iran had warned the U.S.

‘Shelter in place’

In a separate advisory early Tuesday, the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia urged all Filipinos to monitor the news through reputable sources and stay updated on advisories from the embassy in Riyadh, the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, and local Saudi authorities.

Similarly, Filipinos in Qatar were advised to shelter in place until further notice./mcm