The flight of the first batch of overseas Filipino repatriates amid the ongoing tension between Iran and Israel has been delayed, according to Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
Cacdac said the delay was due to the closure of Qatari airspace as a precautionary measure in response to Iranian missile activity.
According to the Secretary, the commercial repatriation flight at Doha Hamad International Airport was affected.
The group consists of 31 Filipino workers — 26 from Israel, 3 from Jordan, 1 from Palestine, and 1 from Qatar.
"Our commercial repatriation flight from Doha with 31 repatriate OFWs mostly from Israel (26), Jordan (3), Palestine (1) and Qatar (1) is delayed due to closure of Qatari airspace," Cacdac said in a social media post.
"We were asked to deplane and stay safely inside the terminal at Doha Hamad International Airport," he added.
In their latest update, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said that all Filipinos remain "safe and sound."
"Our officials and personnel from the Philippine Embassy are on the ground providing our OFWs, who availed the repatriation program of our government as mandated by our President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the necessary assistance and coordination with the Qatari authorities," said the DMW.
The DMW noted that with the Qatari Ministry of Interior on top of the situation, Qatari airspace has now reopened, and they are currently awaiting confirmation of the new flight schedule.
"With this, we thank the Qatari Ministry of Interior for their swift response and for ensuring the safety and security of all affected individuals," the agency said.
According to RH 52 Edniel Parrosa, the latest advisory from the DMW indicated that Secretary Cacdac's media briefing was moved to the afternoon — a sign that the flight has not been completely canceled.
On Monday (PH time), several Middle Eastern nations closed their countries' airspace temporarily as Iran attacked the Al Udeid U.S. military base in Doha as retaliation against the United States for bombing three of Iran’s nuclear sites.
U.S. President Donald Trump later announced that a "complete and total" ceasefire between Israel and Iran will take effect, with the aim of ending the conflict between the two nations.
This article has been updated.
