DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – It’s all systems go at a hotel ballroom converted into a repatriation assembly point for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents. Everybody got their papers in order, and luggage was weighed. They would soon be lining up for their bus ride to the nearby airport. Except that one of them was found to be hand-carrying a food fryer.

Her luggage was filled to capacity with the 30-kilogram allowable limit, and there was no space for her fryer. But quick-thinking staff of the Migrant Workers Office (MWO), organizing the trip, were able to talk the OFW into making some last-minute changes and voilà, problem solved.

That’s just one of the small issues that come with arranging a repatriation resulting from the Middle East crisis.

“Merong hindi nagpunta sa assembly area kasi hindi kasabay sa repat ang girlfriend,” said Labor Attaché John Rio Bautista, MWO head in Dubai and the neighboring Northern Emirates, overseeing the return of the Filipinos to the Philippines because of the ongoing Middle East conflict.

(There was one who did not go to the assembly area because his girlfriend was not coming along on the same flight.)

There was, he added, another instance involving an OFW mother whose infant had a 30-kg luggage allowance so that, together, they would be bringing home 60 kg of check-in belongings. This had to be fixed, and MWO again had to find a way, especially considering the woman had started blurting out why she could not do it.

There was also the case of a woman who told MWO at the Dubai International Airport (DIA) she could not find her purse. The MWO called the hotel where the OFWs met up, but it was not there. The OFW got her plane ticket at the check-in counter and left without saying a word.

Still, and on a more serious note, there was a diabetic OFW regularly undergoing dialysis who was initially refused boarding because the patient had no helper.

Bautista, who did not name names for privacy reasons, said they could only help the OFWs as much as they can so that all efforts – checking if they are qualified and have no travel ban – and money spent on plane tickets don’t go to waste.

“All possible means and assistance ginagawa namin para matuloy ang pag-uwi nila,” he said.

(We do all possible means and assistance so that their trip home pushes through.)

Going down

The labor attaché, whose office also has jurisdiction over Sharjah, Fujairah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, and Umm Al Quwain, said the repatriation figures have actually been going down.

“Sa kasalukuyan po, mayroon kaming average na 34 to 35 applications per day. Bumaba na po ito kumpara noong mga unang panahon ng conflict, medyo mas mababa na. Dati sa isang araw lang mayroon na kaming 70 (requests for repatriation). Ang average po namin noon ay 200 to 300 a week ang inaabot, ngayon naman ay mga 100 to 150,” Bautista said.

(Currently, we are averaging 34 to 35 applications per day. This has gone down compared with the early days of the Middle East conflict in March. We used to have 70 requests for repatriation a day. Our average back then was 200 to 300 a week; nowadays, it’s 100 to 150.)

The MWO, which facilitated the repatriation of 208 OFWs and their dependents on two Emirates Airline flights from DIA on April 30, has some 200 more pending requests for repatriation on its desk.

“Aming paplanuhin kung kailan po uli ang susunod para ma-accommodate natin. Tuluy-tuloy naman ang pagtanggap namin sa MWO ng requests for repatriation,” said Bautista.

(We will plan when the next one will be so we can accommodate them. We are continuously receiving requests for repatriation at the MWO.)

A random interview of the repatriates showed that many of them were OFWs on their first contracts, running two to three years; those whose employers have asked them to stay home for a while until things get better; and those with dependents – young children, pregnant housewives, and parents.

Those who have been in the UAE for quite some time have opted to weather it out.

“Siguro ang kanilang pamilya ay naririto na rin, kasi sa katagalan nila dito nadala na rin, dito na nag-aaral ang kanilang anak at dito na rin nagta-trabaho ang kanilang asawa. So, talagang mas pinili na nila ang manatili muna rito, sanay na sila sa sitwasyon dito sa UAE,” said Bautista.

(It could be that their families are already here, having brought them here over time – children studying here and spouses working here. That’s why they chose to stay; they are used to how things are in the UAE.)

Financial aid

The repatriates receive AED 700 (US$200) in financial aid from MWO at the assembly area before they leave.

Those who stay behind and file a request for monetary assistance get the same amount online through a remittance center that notifies them after a thorough review by MWO.

The MWO portal for accepting such requests opens at 8 am every Tuesday and Friday. The first, on April 28, closed after receiving 822 applications in about 20 minutes.

The MWO limits allowable requests to 800 to give it time – three days – to review the applications.

“Napakabilis noon. In 20 minutes, 822 ang naitala. Ako po ay personal kong tinitignan sa screen yung pagpasok ng mga requests. Ibig sabihin niyan, nakapaghanda na ng mga dokumento yung ating mga kababayan dahil sa maaga rin tayo nagpalabas ng anunsyo kung ano ang mga requirements, kaya once nag-open yung ating portal for accepting applications, naka-ready na sila,” said Bautista.

(That was very fast. We were able to record 822 requests in 20 minutes. I personally watched the computer screen as the requests came in. It means the OFWs were able to prepare because we released an advisory early telling them the requirements, which is why they were ready once the portal opened.)

The advisory was issued on April 18.

The other, and more glaring, reason for the high turnout, Bautista said, was that many were affected by the conflict in terms of losing jobs or having to go through a no-work, no-pay arrangement.

“Marami talaga ang nangangailangan, mostly yung mga skilled workers na nasa 94% o mahigit ng tala namin,” he said. (There are really many who need it, mostly skilled workers, who make up about 94% or more of our records.) These included restaurant workers and others in the hospitality sector, he added.

Of the 822 requests received, 668 were approved, 109 were from OFWs with incomplete submissions but may reapply, and 45 were classified as “ineligible,” according to MWO. It added that 44.7% were OFWs whose salaries were slashed.

The second portal opened at 8 am on May 1. It closed at 8:57 am with 1,027 requests received.

Meanwhile, the MWO is keeping its fingers crossed that there will be no weird idiosyncrasies when the next flight home comes around. – Rappler.com