Senator Manny Villar made true his promise on Wednesday to 80 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) when he brought them back to the Philippines following their repatriation in the Middle East.

The OFWs arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport aboard a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain which landed at 11:10 a.m. The distressed laborers came from Jordan, Oman, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.

Villar made their return possible by giving them assistance in ironing out their cases, facilitating their release from prison, and by paying their fines as well as their plane fares.

Aisa Guiapar, 29, was one of the repatriated workers who arrived yesterday. She narrated that she met Villar during his recent trip to Jordan and pleaded him to help her get back home.

According to Guiapar, she was maltreated by her former employers who refused to feed her for two days. “Nagkasakit ako sa amo ko kasi dalawang araw akong hindi pinakain, ni tubig man lang hindi maibigay sa akin.”

The domestic helper added that her employer took her back to the agency which, in turn assigned her to another employer. Guiapar disclosed that it was her second employer who molested her. She broke her foot in an attempt to escape.

Another rescued OFW was Gloria Ubarde, 45, who was regularly beaten by her abusive employers. It was learned that Ubarde’s sister wrote Senator Villar for help.

Those who arrived from Syria came straight from the Duma Detention Center in Damascus. Villar learned about their plight through pleadings of help from their families to the office of the senator.

With the long list of requests for help received by the senator’s “Sagip-OFW” helpline, the senator worked hard to facilitate the affected worker’s release from their contracts in the Middle East, as well as from their detention in jail so that they can go home at the soonest possible time.

Through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Philippine embassies and consulates, several OFWs have been released from prison and their penalties cancelled, making it possible for them to return home.

At the same time, Villar coordinated with the Department of ForeignAffairs (DFA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and posts in the Middle East to request a list of wards needing immediate repatriation such as minors, the aged, and the sick.