Humanitarian flight to bring home 253 Pinoys from Kuwait

A TOTAL of 253 Filipino nationals have been repatriated from Kuwait on Thursday through a humanitarian flight arranged by the Kuwait government and the Philippine Embassy.

The Filipino repatriates are composed of 179 distressed domestic workers; 39 former detainees at Talha Deportation Center, Sulaibiya Central Jail, and other detention facilities in Kuwait; 34 Filipinos who encountered various employment-related problems; and one infant.

“The humanitarian flight of 253 OFWS in Kuwait is a testament to the enduring friendship between the Philippines and Kuwait. On behalf of the Philippine government and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), I thank the Kuwaiti government and Kuwait Airways for this generous gesture to our distressed kababayan,”

Consul General to Kuwait Mohd. Noordin Pendosina Lomondot said in a statement.

Chargé d’affaires Charleson Hermosura lauded Kuwait for fasttracking the immigration and repatriation procedures as a way to reduce the risk of a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak in Kuwait’s usually crowded detention facilities and shelter.

Hermosura said the humanitarian flight was initially arranged for March 21 but was rescheduled to March 25, which allowed the Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Kuwait to maximize the capacity of Kuwait Airways Boeing 777 aircraft and accommodate more Filipinos to the flight.

The embassy facilitated the mass repatriation and