DMW: Pinoys in Lebanon reluctant to go home

MANILA, Philippines — Most overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in conflict-stricken Lebanon are reluctant to seek repatriation due to “personal commitments” to their foreign employers, according to the Department of Migrant Workers.

“There are OFWs who want to go home, but it remains to be seen if others will decide to leave,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said yesterday.

“I will also attribute this to the nature of their work in Lebanon. Most of them are domestic workers and have this sense of loyalty to their employers,” he said.

Some Lebanese employers needed to be convinced to allow their Filipino workers to return home, Cacdac noted.

Since the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict erupted last year, Cacdac said 460 OFWs and 23 dependents have been repatriated, while 514 are set to return home.

Around 200 OFWs awaiting repatriation are staying at three shelters in Lebanon run by the Philippine government, Cacdac said.