The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has assisted another batch of Filipino repatriates from Lebanon who arrived in the Philippines on Saturday (October 26) amid the escalating conflict between the Lebanese militant group and Israel.
A total of 244 overseas Filipinos (OFs) and their 36 dependents were welcomed by personnel of DSWD’s Field Office (FO)-National Capital Region (NCR) under its “airport salubong” project, together with other national government agencies, upon their arrival via chartered flight from Beirut, Lebanon to Manila.
Under the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), 232 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 12 OFs each received Php10,000 cash aid and another Php10,000 in food aid.
The DSWD social workers also conducted interviews to assess the status and needs of the repatriates, including their psychosocial condition as they came from ravaging tensions in Lebanon.
“Under a whole-of-government approach as directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the DSWD will continue to monitor the situation of our repatriates with other government agencies. We are also ready to provide other augmentation support if deemed necessary,” DSWD FO-NCR Regional Director Michael Joseph Lorico said on Tuesday (October 29).
Aside from the DSWD, the repatriates were also provided with financial aid amounting to Php75,000 from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Php75,000 from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
The October 26 arrival brings the total of repatriated OFWs to 1,772; 57 OFs and 176 dependents since President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies last October 9 to mobilize all available resources for the swift repatriation of Filipinos from conflict-ridden Lebanon.
