DFA spearheads repatriation of remains of 54 more OFWS from Saudi Arabia

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) brought home the remains of 54 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday aboard a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight.

The third batch of repatriation of the remains was made possible through the joint effort of PAL, DFA, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Labor and Employment since the pandemic.

PAL f light PR654 f lew from Manila to load 20 caskets from Al Khobar, 10 from Jeddah, and 24 from Riyadh.

Of the 54 bodies, 39 died due to Covid-19, while 15 were due to various other causes.

The Philippine government chartered the flights to enable the OFWS to return home.

The remains of those who died due to Covid will be cremated in Manila and the urns containing the ashes will be flown to their loved ones in the provinces.

The remains of those who lost their lives due to other causes will be flown to their families in caskets.

“The bodies of Covid cases will be immediately cremated while the non-covid will be flown to their respective places of origin at government expense,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III assured in a news statement.

Bello and other labor officials met with the bereaved families of the deceased OFWS to extend their sympathies.

“I’m hoping this is the last batch of dead OFWS arriving not because the government is tired of receiving them but due to the fact that it’s very painful to welcome dead heroes who served their families and country well,” he added.

For the first two batches, DOLE was able to bring home 137 OFW remains earlier this month.

Before the mass repatriation started, DOLE said it expects to bring home 274 OFW remains from KSA.