Some of the stranded overseas Filipino workers at the Dubai International Airport are now in the Philippines after receiving assistance from the Overseas Filipino Workers Welfare (OWWA) in Dubai and the airline where they were originally booked.
Michelle, not her true name, said that at least eight OFWs from the UAE have their flights to Manila canceled on December 18; while 56 OFWs came from Saudi Arabia whose flights have been canceled on December 16.
In an update last night, Michelle took a photo of their batch boarding an aircraft going to Clark International Airport.
She thanked the staff of the Emirates airline and the Philippine government post in the emirate.
“Nakauwi po tayong lahat ng ligtas kahit ilang araw na walang ligo at maayos na tulog, naging tulugan ang mga chairs sa E6. The expeirence taught us patience and we learn the value of sharing during tough times. Gagawin natin ang lahat para makasama ang pamilya lalo sa panahon ng kapaskuhan,” Michelle wrote.
The Filipina notified The Global Filipino Magazine a few days ago about their flight cancellation. She said that their flight has been canceled when she was already inside the boarding area with airport personnel telling her that no OFWs are currently allowed to enter the Asian country.
Facing same issue
Another OFW from Dubai shared with The Global Filipino Magazine about her experience traveling to Manila.
“We face the same issue when we were checking in Emirates for our last 17 Dec bound to Manila. EK ground staff took our passports prior to check-in and checked whether we were clear for travel or not,” OFW Lea Marie said.
She said that some of the passengers were directly denied to fly and were asked to provide approval from the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai.
“But the rest of us who were cleared to fly were asked to provide a hotel booking for quarantine. We informed [them] that we were active OFWs and OWWA is supposed to handle the quarantine for us. EK ground staff told us that they were informed earlier that all quarantine facilities are overcapacity,” she added.
Lea said that they were told that if they want to go home, they had to book their own hotel at their own cost.
“We had no choice but to do so. Only with a hotel booking were allowed to check-in. When we reached Manila, everything went smoothly. OWWA still had available hotels. We told them about what happened at the airport but they seemed clueless. There was no hassle when we reached Manila. Everything went smoothly–from landing at the airport to transferring to the quarantine hotel,” she said.
