49 more OFWs to come home from Syria Friday — DFA

MANILA, Philippines — Forty-nine more Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from strife- torn Syria will be arriving in Manila Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Thursday.

In a statement, the DFA said 49 repatriates would arrive at 4 p.m. Friday on aboard Emirates flight EK 332. Their air tickets were paid for by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This latest batch, it said, would bring to 2,930 the total number of Filipino repatriates from Syria.

The DFA said that as of Tuesday, 192 Filipinos were housed in the Philippine Embassy in Damascus while their repatriation papers were being processed.

The government has been intensifying its efforts to bring back OFWs from Syria.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Undersecretary Rafael Seguis made high level visits to Syria this year, during which they forged a deal for the Syrian government to waive the exit visa requirements and penalties for outbound Filipinos.

Meanwhile, the DFA urged the family members of Filipinos in Syria to provide latest information regarding their relatives’ current location and contact details in Syria by contacting the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) at (02) 834-4996 or the DFA Action Center at (02) 834-3333.

Filipinos in Syria may also contact the Embassy for assistance at 963-11-6132626.