More than 40,000 overseas Filipino workers are stranded in Manila following a deployment ban to several Middle East countries, according to the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
The affected destinations include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Israel, and Lebanon, as tensions in the region continue to disrupt travel and labor deployment.
Many of the stranded workers are currently staying in accommodation facilities of recruitment agencies, while others have been sent back to their home provinces. Some are rehires or vacationing workers who are unable to return to their jobs due to limited flight availability.
The DMW and OWWA said more than 4,000 OFWs and their dependents have already been repatriated, including stranded Filipino tourists from Dubai and Jordan.
In the latest repatriation efforts, 88 Filipinos from Qatar were brought home over the weekend. Of the total, 67 arrived on April 4, composed of 54 OFWs and 13 family members, followed by 21 more arrivals the next day.
Authorities said returnees received financial assistance prior to departure, while additional support such as food, medical aid, transport, and temporary shelter was provided upon arrival through coordination among government agencies.
The latest arrivals bring the total number of Filipinos repatriated from Qatar to 585.
Migration expert Emmanuel Geslani warned that deployment to the Middle East may decline significantly in the second and third quarters of 2026, citing disruptions in oil production as refineries undergo repairs and rehabilitation.
Officials continue to monitor the situation as government agencies scale up assistance for affected workers and prepare for prolonged disruptions in overseas employment.
