The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said at least 14 distressed Overseas Filipino Workers in Lebanon were repatriated.
In a statement, the DFA said the 14 distressed OFWs were physically abused, sheltered runaways, and detained workers.
With coordination with concerned Lebanese authorities, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon sent home the OFWs and cleared them of their respective “immigration liabilities.”
During the first quarter of 2022, the DFA said the shelter catered to distressed and undocumented Filipinos nearly at “full capacity.”
But the DFA stressed that the shelter’s occupancy rate is now down by 98 percent with the most recent repatriation.
Citing the narratives of the OFWs, the department noted that the illegal recruitment bound for Lebanon has been common amid the deployment ban of household service workers to the country since 2007.
“The embassy also monitors and ensures the welfare of Filipino nationals in various penal facilities in Lebanon. It prioritizes the provision of legal assistance and their earliest possible repatriation while giving basic supplies, as deemed necessary,” the DFA said.
