DFA Repatriates 176 Filipinos from Scam Hubs in Myawaddy, Myanmar

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo José A. de Vega and Philippine Embassy in Bangkok Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Charmaine Guevarra showed the combined forces of the DFA and the One Country Team in Bangkok. Beyond the gate awaited 176 Filipinos, ready to board their DFA-chartered flight home.

MANILA 26 March 2025 – The Department of Foreign Affairs led the whole-of-government efforts to safely bring home 176 Filipino alleged human trafficking victims (HTVs) from illegal scam centers in Myawaddy, Myanmar, on a special flight from Bangkok, Thailand, which arrived early today, 26 March 2025 at 05:40 AM.

Upon arrival at NAIA, the DFA, meeting with partner agencies in the Inter-Agency Council Against Against Trafficking (IACAT) comprising the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and supported by Philippine Airlines (PAL) and the New NAIA Infra Corporation (NNCI), welcomed the 176 repatriated Filipinos. A day prior, the DFA led the repatriation of 30 Filipino HTVs also from Myanmar via Thailand.

The successful repatriation comes after the week-long shuttle visit of DFA Migration Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo José A. de Vega to Myanmar and Thailand for the 206 Filipinos to return home to be with their loved ones in the Philippines. Representations yielded the prompt actions of Myanmar and Thai authorities for the Filipino HTVs to safely cross from Myawaddy, Myanmar, to Mae Sot, Thailand, on 24 and 25 March 2025, and then bussed without any stopovers to the airport in Bangkok to take the flights to Manila on the same day.

To ensure and support the safe return home of the 206 HTVs, Rapid Response Teams were positioned on the ground in Myawaddy, Mae Sot, and Bangkok, with DFA officials at the helm and the participation of key personnel from the Philippine Embassies in Yangon, and Bangkok together with the overseas resident officials of attached agencies from the Department of National Defense (Office of the Defense and Armed Forces Attache), Philippine National Police (Office of the Police Attache), and the  Department of Migrant Workers (Migrant Workers Office)  under the One-Country-Team approach (OCTA). The PAL special flight, which arrived today, also had a Rapid Response Team on board composed of DFA and OWWA officials and personnel to assist the 176 repatriates during their journey from Bangkok to Manila.

The Philippine government is unwavering in its commitment to protecting Filipinos abroad. This successful operation reaffirms the country as the gold standard in migration protection mechanisms, ensuring that overseas Filipinos—particularly those identified as alleged victims of human trafficking—receive the prompt support and assistance needed.

At the same time, the government wishes to reiterate its advice to all Filipinos to pass through the proper deployment procedures of the concerned government agencies, such as DMW, before leaving the country for overseas employment. END

DFA, OWWA, Philippine Embassy in Bangkok and Philippine Airline representatives cooperate in the speedy boarding of the chartered flight to bring 176 overseas Filipinos in distress home. Photo taken at the Suvharnabumi International Airport on 26 March 2025.

In the photo: At a designated holding area at NAIA Terminal 1, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo José A. de Vega, OWWA Administrator Arnel Ignacio, Rep. Marisa “Del Mar” Magsino, and other government officials from various member agencies of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) work as they weave through the sea of blue shirts and white caps – the 176 Filipinos – newly arrived from their journey to Manila via a Philippine Airlines chartered flight.