Some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East are facing delays in returning to the Philippines due to issues involving immigration records and missing travel documents, officials from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said during a joint congressional hearing.

According to a report by RH Milky Rigonan, during the joint hearing of the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Overseas Workers Affairs, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac disclosed that several OFWs are unable to immediately return home because many of them do not have possession of their immigration documents, particularly their passports.

DMW Undersecretary Jainal Rasul Jr. said the Migrant Workers Office has been directly coordinating with employers, Philippine recruitment agencies, and foreign counterparts to address the situation and facilitate the workers’ return.

Rasul also reminded employers that withholding or keeping the passports of OFWs is prohibited and constitutes a violation of the workers’ employment contracts.

Cacdac clarified, however, that the issue of employers holding passports or other travel documents is not always the primary concern. According to him, repatriation becomes more complicated when OFWs have pending cases or immigration records in their host countries.

He added that the government is currently working to repatriate around 50 OFWs from the Middle East, with efforts underway to resolve the necessary documentation to allow their return to the Philippines.

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