An overseas Filipino worker, one of 18 who flew home from Israel on Friday, said he remained unsure whether to return to the country should its conflict with Hamas subside or be resolved peacefully.
Elmer Puno, a 43-year-old caregiver from Pampanga, said his employer in Israel called him up before he left for the Philippines, urging him to return when things settle down.
Puno said his experience during the attack by Hamas militants on Israel on 7 October had left him emotionally scarred and traumatized.
“My employer called me and said that when the situation goes back to normal, if I still want to come back, I can. But I said to myself that I cannot decide yet because of what I encountered in Israel,” Puno said.
He said he still has two years left of his four-year contract but decided to resign for his safety and his family’s concerns.
“My salary is pretty good. In our currency, that is P70,000 a month, tax-free,” he said. “When I heard the sirens, I ran to a bomb shelter. I was talking to my wife, who also heard the sirens and bombing.”
“She was so scared. She asked me to urgently go home. My children said that I should go home, so when there was an opportunity for repatriation, I didn’t think twice about asking the government to repatriate us,” he said.
Of the 18 repatriates from Israel, one was left behind in Abu Dhabi due to elevated blood pressure. Puno and his fellow OFWs arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Etihad Airlines flight EY 424.
The 18 OFWs received P105,000 each in direct financial assistance from various government agencies, and they are entitled to livelihood training to start a business.