Robredo didn’t rebuke VP Duterte’s claims about OFW repatriation

Robredo’s group affirm to Rappler that the Naga Metropolis mayor has not issued any assertion relating to Duterte’s remarks on Center East OFW repatriation

Declare: Naga Metropolis Mayor Leni Robredo publicly disputed Vice President Sara Duterte’s declare that repatriating abroad Filipino staff from the Center East can be simple, citing airspace restrictions and safety threats within the area.

Ranking: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Fb submit quoted Naga Metropolis Mayor Leni Robredo saying, “Bakit ka magpapadala ng eroplano, might airspace restrictions at panganib sa seguridad dahil sa aktibong battle zones between Israel and Iran?”

(Why would you ship airplanes when there are airspace restrictions and safety risks because of the lively battle zones between Israel and Iran?)

The submit containing the declare was revealed on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, and has generated 13,000 reactions, 6,800 feedback, and 392 shares. The submit was introduced as a response to the Vice President’s March 6 assertion, the place Duterte referred to as out the Marcos administration for stalling the repatriation of the stranded OFWs, citing her expertise as Davao Metropolis mayor when she efficiently introduced stranded residents residence by way of industrial flights through the pandemic. 

The information: Robredo’s group confirmed to Rappler on March 17 that the mayor has not responded to Duterte’s remarks about flight points within the Center East. 

They stated that the Naga Metropolis mayor has not issued any assertion or remark relating to the Vice President’s remarks on the repatriation of OFWs from the Center East amid the continuing United States- Israel warfare on Iran.

Authorities mandate: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated that because of airspace restrictions, mass repatriations stay harmful, urging migrant staff to prioritize their security. Nonetheless, the Workplace of the President assured that they already directed the Division of Migrant Staff (DMW) and the Division of International Affairs (DFA) to help OFWs looking for voluntary repatriation.

The DMW started evacuating stranded OFWs from the Center East as early as March 5. By March 13, the division confirmed in a press release that it had efficiently repatriated a complete of 849 OFWs and their dependents.

Throughout a joint listening to of the Home committees on abroad staff affairs and international affairs, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac reported that over 4,000 OFWs within the Center East have obtained help. The federal government additionally assured the general public that it’s actively securing various routes to deliver migrant staff residence safely.

Air journey: Based on information from FlightRadar24, a website that analyzes flight routes internationally, a regional airspace closure has been mandated within the Center East because of the ongoing warfare (READ: Trump revels in killing of Iran’s leaders as warfare nears two-week mark).

Attributable to geopolitical volatility, international locations in and across the Center East have enforced security measures, resulting in difficulties in air visitors management. Whereas flights have resumed, they’re restricted to sure aviation corridors in components of the Center East. 

In an interview with CNN, a consulting director for Strategic Air Australia defined that flight delays stem from airways recalculating various routes for danger evaluation and securing permission to fly via every nation’s airspace. – Marc Nathaniel Servo/Rappler.com

Marc Nathaniel Servo is a Rappler intern. He’s a fourth-year journalism scholar from the Polytechnic College of the Philippines and the previous affiliate editor of PUP Faculty of Communication’s The Communicator.

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