More than 1,000 OFWs returning from Qatar in three weeks

August 11, 2020

More than 1,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Qatar are set to be brought home by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in three weeks, starting  Wednesday.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said 1,062 OFWs from Qatar will be brought home in three batches through chartered flights of the Philippine Airlines funded by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

"The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Doha has arranged three chartered flights for 1,062 OFWs consisting of wards at the halfway house in the capital, and stranded and displaced workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Bello.

The first batch of 354 repatriates will  arrive Wednesday, the labor chief said.

Two other flights, also carrying 354 OFWs each, are expected to arrive on August 19 and 26.

"We are thankful to the government of Qatar for allowing the chartered flights to bring home our modern day heroes,” Bello said. DMS