The Philippines is set to host a regional consultative meeting of Middle East and African ambassadors to hammer out issues concerning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in a move intended to improve government services rendered to them.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. announced the hosting of the meeting which would gather foreign diplomats from the Middle East and Africa.

The increasing number of Filipino overstayers in the Middle East countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia, and the continued hijacking of Filipino seafarers in Somalia, are among the key concerns the Philippine government expects to be discussed during the meeting.

“We have a regional consultative meeting with the Middle East ambassadors this March so that we can improve our services with the OFWs,” Conejos told in a press conference. In Saudi Arabia alone, there are three million Filipino workers.

The DFA official said before he leaves office, he wants to leave a protection program for OFWs which hopefully would be pursued by his successor.

He said they have repatriated a total of 432 distressed Filipinos last December even as he assured the immediate repatriation of another batch of 300 Filipino overstayers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

In response to Mrs. Arroyo’s directive to bring home hundreds of distressed Filipinos to enable them to be with their loved ones during holidays, Conejos said the DFA had flown back home 432 Filipinos, majority of whom were from Lebanon with 162 and Jeddah with 108.

Of the 432 repatriated Filipinos, 64 were seafarers who were either abducted by Somali pirates or encountered sea mishaps. He said there are still 74 Filipino seafarers onboard six ships who are still being held captive by pirates.

The first mass repatriation on Dec. 4 involved 10 children and infants.

Conejos said in 2009 alone, the DFA, along with Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), brought home a total of 8,469 distressed Filipinos, 4,000 of whom were repatriated back through the Assistance to Nationals’ (ATN) funding.

He said the government has contracted the hajj terminal to house the third batch of 300 Filipino overstayers in Jeddah who are due to be repatriated.