Over 300 OFWs in Kuwait Return Home Via PH Embassy’s Repatriation Program

The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait continues to repatriate undocumented and distressed Filipinos from Kuwait by sending home 63 more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on 24 September 2019.

The latest group of OFW-repatriates, which is the sixth batch of the Embassy Assisted Repatriation Program (EARP) for 2019, brings the number of OFWs who were sent home this year to a total of 327.

Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. (CDA) and Consul General Mohd. Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot personally sent off the OFWs, most of whom have expired visas or absconding cases, and accompanied them from the Embassy up until they checked-in at Kuwait International Airport.

At the Embassy, CDA Lomondot explained to the OFW-repatriates that the EARP is a project of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and in cooperation with the Illegal Residency Monitoring and Immigration Departments of the Kuwait Ministry of Interior.

CDA Lomondot led the distribution of US$100 financial assistance to each of the EARP beneficiaries, given by the DFA under its PhP1 billion Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Fund to help them start a new life in the Philippines.

“Hindi dito sa Kuwait nagtatapos ang buhay. Baka nasa ibang lugar ang suwerte natin. Para sa kinabukasan niyo, patuloy na palawakin ang inyong kakayahan tulad ng pag-e-enroll sa TESDA at iba pang mga training institution. Tuloy pa rin anglaban ng buhay. (Life doesn’t end here in Kuwait. Maybe our luck is in other places. For your future, expand your skills by enrolling in TESDA and other training institutions. The battle in life continues.),” CDA Lomondot offered words of encouragement to the EARP beneficiaries.

Apart from the one-way ticket from Kuwait to Manila and the financial assistance, 24 out of the 63 OFW-repatriates were also given domestic tickets from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to their respective provinces. The Embassy also took care of the food provision of the 35 repatriates who stayed at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) shelter.

The Embassy’s Medical Response Team also assisted seven OFW-repatriates with various medical conditions.

Prior to this batch, there were 63 Filipinos who were reunited with their loved ones back in the Philippines under the fifth EARP on 21 August 2019. The Embassy aims to send home at least two more batches of OFWs before year-end, in time from the Christmas season.

The Embassy encourages all Filipinos in Kuwait with expired visas and absconding cases to take advantage of the EARP. Those who are interested to apply may send a message to the Embassy on Viber and WhatsApp through mobile phone number +965 9800 5115.