KUALA LUMPUR - More than 3,300 Filipinos have been repatriated from the Middle East, while over 18,000 others have received assistance amid ongoing regional tensions, said the President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“From March 5 to March 29, a total of 2,551 overseas Filipino workers and 835 of their dependents have returned home,” Marcos said in a national address.

He said the government has put in place reintegration programmes to help returning Filipinos rebuild their lives.

As of March 27, a total of 18,394 Filipinos in the Middle East have received assistance, including food, temporary shelter, medical aid, transport, financial support and repatriation services.

“So long as there are Filipinos in need, we will continue to extend assistance,” Marcos added.

He also urged Filipinos to pray for peace during the Holy Week.

“This Holy Week, may we include in our prayers the peace and well-being of all,” he said.