Following the recent Xiamen Air incident that brought Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to a standstill, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday announced they would be providing financial assistance for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were unable to return to their host countries due to the occurrence.

According to an agency release, DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said, “DFA, together with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, are working together to address the concerns of our overseas workers who have been stranded at the NAIA in the past few days.”

Eligible recipients will begin receiving P5,000 each this afternoon, August 22. Distributions are expected to continue until Friday, August 24.

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said eligible OFWs can claim their disbursement at the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs, located on the third floor of the DFA building; or from designated areas at NAIA Terminals 1, 2, and 3.

A Xiamen Air flight skidded off the runway at NAIA last week amid poor weather conditions. It took authorities nearly two days to reopen the runway, which caused numerous flight cancellations./WDJ