A total of 149 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 over the weekend, returning from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as the Philippine government continues its repatriation effort amid the conflict in the Middle East. BusinessWorld reported the arrivals on Sunday, 8 November 2026, citing a statement from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Of the 149 workers, 112 came from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and 37 from Kuwait. The first group, 38 workers from Riyadh, reached Manila on Saturday evening aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR928. They were followed by 37 workers from Kuwait and a further 74 Filipinos from Riyadh.

The returns are part of a repatriation programme that has been running since 19 October, when flight disruptions in Saudi Arabia began stranding Filipino workers. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and OWWA have been moving workers by land to departure airports and flying them home, with assistance funded through the DMW's AKSYON Fund and OWWA's Emergency Repatriation Fund.

By 2 November, the government had assisted 5,257 OFWs in Saudi Arabia and repatriated 560 workers and 13 dependents on 14 flights, according to a DMW news release. OWWA had said at that point that a further 379 workers were expected to return in batches until 11 November. Returning workers and their dependents receive medical and financial assistance, food and transport to their home provinces under the Saving Lives component of the government's Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) initiative.

Drone and missile strikes in the region have increased in recent weeks. Riyadh's international airport was temporarily closed after a Houthi drone strike killed 14 people and injured 300 others. A Filipino was also killed on Thursday in an explosion aboard an oil producer tanker in the Persian Gulf. Initial reports suggested the blast was caused by a drone attack, although the authorities have yet to verify the cause of the incident.

The programme began with a first batch of 34 workers arriving on 19 October, followed by 50 more the next day, and the numbers have grown steadily since as more flights were arranged. Each group has been met at the airport by OWWA welfare officers, who help with onward travel to workers' home provinces.

The repatriation operation is being coordinated by the DMW, OWWA, the Philippine Embassy and migrant workers offices in Saudi Arabia, under a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prioritise the safety and welfare of Filipinos affected by the crisis. With flights still disrupted, further batches of returning workers are expected in the coming days.