54 OFW remains repatriated from Saudi Arabia

Fifty-four remains of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who died in Saudi Arabia arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday, July 28.

The chartered Philippine Airlines flight carried caskets from Riyadh, Alkhobar, and Jeddah.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) explained that only 54 remains arrived instead of 71 due to the failure of cargo forwarders to process all listed remains.

Of the 54 deceased OFWs, 39 succumbed to COVID-19, while the remaining 15 died from other causes.

This repatriation was facilitated through the collaborative efforts of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

This marks the third batch of repatriated remains from Saudi Arabia, with previous batches arriving on July 10 (49 remains) and July 19 (88 remains).