Singapore assists 24 Filipinos stranded in Saudi Arabia

Dubai: The Singapore government has assisted 24 Filipinos who have been stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by facilitating their transit through Singapore on their travel back to the Philippines.

The group, nine men and 15 women, arrived in Singapore on March 13 aboard a Singapore-chartered evacuation flight that departed from Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport on March 12.

The overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been unable to secure outbound commercial flights from Saudi Arabia due to limited availability amid the ongoing situation in the region.

Philippine ambassador to Singapore Medardo Macaraig has personally welcomed the group upon arrival. He was joined by the embassy’s assistance-to-nationals team, as well as representatives from the Migrant Workers Office and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in the country.

Moreover, Muhammad Faishal bin Ibrahim, Singapore’s senior minister of state for home affairs and acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs, has received the evacuees at Changi Airport Terminal 2 and oversaw the arrival of the evacuation flight.

After landing, the Philippine embassy team assisted the OFWs, coordinating closely with Singapore authorities and airport officials to ensure a smooth transfer within the airport and to their trip back to Manila.

According to the embassy, the connecting flights from Singapore to Manila have been funded by the Philippine government.

For his part, Macaraig has conveyed the Philippines’ appreciation to Singapore for extending available seats on the chartered evacuation flight to Filipino nationals, as well as citizens from other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states.

"The gesture reflects the longstanding ASEAN practice of extending assistance to fellow member countries during emergencies, disasters, and conflicts, and underscores the spirit of regional solidarity," said Macaraig.

The ambassador has also thanked Singapore for helping in the repatriation of Filipinos and other nationals from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Singapore has deployed its Air Force A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft to support evacuation efforts from Jeddah.

The aircraft has conducted its second flight on March 12, following an earlier deployment on March 10 to assist Singaporean nationals leaving Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with its partner agencies, has stressed that it remains committed to helping overseas Filipinos in distress.

"Filipinos seeking assistance are advised to contact the Philippine embassies and consulates general in their area through the contact numbers and official channels posted on its website and social media pages."