The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) vowed to reach out to the 31 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who were repatriated from Israel and other conflict-affected countries for appropriate services to help them cope with their traumatic experience from the hostilities, a senior agency official said on Tuesday (June 24).

“Ang DSWD po ay nandito para magbigay ng kaunting tulong. Meron po kami today na cash relief assistance. At kung saan po kayong region mapupunta, kinuha po namin ang contact details ninyo para magre-reach out ang regional offices po namin, para po kung ano po ang karagdagang tulong na pwede namin magawa,” Undersecretary Monina Josefina Romualdez of the DSWD Operations Group (OG) told the repatriates during the short welcome ceremony at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

As initial assistance, the DSWD provided cash relief to the OFWs, with 26 from Israel, three from Jordan, one from the West Bank (Palestine), and one from Qatar.

A team of social workers was also present during the welcome ceremony to provide psycho-social support to the repatriates.

Liezle, a 29-year-old OFW from Palestine (West Bank), recalled how scared she was, especially that she was a victim of trafficking in person.

A tearful but happy Liezle expressed her gratitude for the whole-of-government approach, “sobrang thankful po, at nakauwi kami ng safe.”

The repatriation was made possible through the one-country team effort of government agencies working together to bring the OFWs home.

The convergent approach in providing services to the repatriates is in line with the instruction of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr to all government agencies to extend maximum assistance to help the OFWs.

The other high level government officials present at the welcome ceremony were Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Secretary Teodoro Herbosa of the Department of Health (DOH), Administrator Patricia Yvone Caunan of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Deputy Director Felizardo Colambo of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Asst. Secretary Robert Ferrer of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

More OFWs from the conflict-affected countries are expected to come home in the coming days. (GDVF)