11 April 2015 – One hundred and fifty (150) Filipinos evacuated from Yemen arrived safely in Manila today in two batches. This latest group to return to the Philippines was among the Filipinos extracted by the Crisis Management Team (CMT) out of Yemen and brought to Saudi Arabia last week, where they took their return flights to Manila.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario welcomed the repatriates at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. He was joined by other officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) namely Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jesus Yabes, Assistant Secretary Julius Torres, DFA Spokesperson Charles Jose and incoming Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa.

Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Administrator Rebecca Calzado of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) were also present at the airport to conduct the arrival briefing for the repatriates.

During the briefing, Secretary del Rosario discussed the volatile security situation in Yemen and expressed his appreciation for the repatriates’ quick decision to return to the Philippines. He also reassured them that the Philippine Government will prioritize the provision of employment, placement and livelihood assistance through the Department of Labor and Employment.

Overall, the CMT has evacuated 464 Filipinos out of Yemen. Of this number, 240 have been successfully repatriated to the Philippines. The CMT is currently arranging the return flights of the remaining 224 Filipinos to Manila.

The DFA in coordination with other agencies will continue to exhaust all efforts to repatriate the estimated 400 Filipinos still remaining in Yemen. END