Over 9,500 Filipinos Leave Gulf Region Amid Iran Conflict, Says Manila

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More than 9,500 Filipino nationals have returned home from the Gulf region over the past two months as the ongoing Iran conflict disrupted life and work across the Middle East, according to the Philippine government.

Hans Leo Cacdac, Secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers, said the large-scale repatriation effort began after the outbreak of hostilities on February 28, when thousands of overseas Filipino workers requested government assistance to return home from Gulf countries, as well as from Lebanon and Israel.

A total of 9,210 Filipinos have so far been assisted through a combination of chartered evacuation flights and regular commercial services, with the highest number of returnees coming from the United Arab Emirates, followed by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain.

Officials said nearly 4,000 workers returned from the UAE, 2,267 from Kuwait, more than 900 each from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and 845 from Bahrain.

Speaking during his latest visit to Kuwait, Cacdac said requests for repatriation have now slowed, dropping from around 2,500 requests to nearly 1,200, but authorities remain ready to assist anyone wishing to return.

The operation faced major logistical challenges after airspace closures in several Gulf nations forced many workers to travel 8 to 10 hours by road to border crossings in Saudi Arabia before boarding evacuation flights.

Cacdac described the mission as even more complex than the COVID-19 repatriation efforts, requiring coordinated bus transfers, border clearances, emergency transit documentation, and deployment of Philippine officials across multiple exit points.

Despite the disruption, Philippine authorities say most returning workers hope to return to the Gulf once regional stability is restored, with surveys showing 70 percent still intend to work overseas and nearly half retaining valid employment visas.

The Philippine government has also provided financial assistance, temporary accommodation, transport support, and re-skilling programmes for affected workers as part of reintegration efforts back home.