The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the first batch of repatriated Filipinos from the Middle East scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on Tuesday morning was delayed due to the closure of Qatar airspace after Iran attacked a US military base in Doha.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said that the 31 Filipinos were safe and that officials from the Philippine Embassy were assisting those affected by the delay.

“Our officials and personnel from the Philippine Embassy are on the ground providing our OFWs, who availed the repatriation program of our government as mandated by our President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the necessary assistance and coordination with the Qatari authorities,” Cacdac said.

Qatari's airspace was closed following Iran's air strikes on an American military base on Monday night, with the Philippine Embassy in Qatar confirming that no Filipinos were hurt in the attack.

Iran's missile attack at the US' Al-Udeid Air Base located southwest of Doha was Iran's reaction after the US' bombing of its nuclear sites over the weekend.

Cacdac called on Filipinos in the Middle East to remain calm, reiterating the call of the Qatari Ministry to refrain from sharing unverified information regarding the current situation that may cause panic, reminding those in the area to only rely on official government advisories from the DWM, the Philippine Embassy, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and other government bodies.

New flight arrangements for the repatriated Filipinos are being settled.

"For the families of the repatriated OFWs, please be assured that we are actively working to finalize new flight arrangements,” Cacdac assured. Velle White/DMS