The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to deliver services and interventions to thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by tensions in the Middle East.

As of May 18, the DSWD has successfully provided services and interventions to 4,398 repatriated and stranded OFWs, releasing a combined PHP7.77 million in various forms of assistance.

Of the total served, 3,989 were repatriated, while 409 were stranded OFWs.

“We are assuring our returning kababayans (countrymen) that the government is fully equipped to assist them in their reintegration, at ang tuloy-tuloy na paghahatid ng tulong na ito ay alinsunod sa utos ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr na siguruhing ligtas ang ating mga OFWs (and the continuous delivery of assistance is in line with the directive of President Marcos to ensure the safety of our OFWs),” DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a news release on Monday.

Data shows that all 4,398 OFWs served by the DSWD were provided with psychological first aid upon their arrival to help them process and cope with their trauma due to the Middle East conflict.

Aside from immediate psychological support upon arrival at the airport, 227 individuals also received additional psychosocial assistance from the Department’s field offices to ensure their overall well-being.

Financial aid amounting to PHP6.91million was distributed to 1,324 repatriated OFWs to cover their daily needs and immediate expenses.

Through the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program, 28 beneficiaries were granted livelihood assistance totaling PHP560,000 to help them develop alternative sources of income.

The DSWD also extended medical assistance worth PHP300,000 to one repatriated Filipino who required immediate health interventions.

Dumlao said all these responsive measures are a crucial part of the Marcos government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport framework, which seeks to seamlessly reintegrate affected Filipinos into the local workforce and community.

“The DSWD will not stop monitoring the situation of our OFWs to ensure that no one is left behind, at para masiguro na ang ating mga kababayan ay makakabangong muli (to ensure that they can start over again),” she said.

The DSWD is also in close collaboration with other agencies, such as the Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, among others, for a whole-of-government approach to responding to the needs of OFWs. (PNA)