MANILA—Twenty six distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Bahrain arrived Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Most of the repatriated OFWs ran away from their employers due to reduced, delayed or non-payment of salaries, long working hours, heavy workload, inadequate food provision and other forms of abuses, it said.

Twenty-five of the workers were illegally recruited and deployed to work in Bahrain, said the DFA

The Philippine Embassy in Bahrain made strong representations with the OFWs’ employers, with the police and immigration authorities and with the courts for their visa cancellation, for their appropriate clearances and for their cases’ speedy resolutions.

The ebassy also provided shelter and basic amenities to the OFWs during their stay in Bahrain.

The DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, through the Assistance-to-Nationals fund, purchased the tickets of the 26 OFWs.

Bahrain’s Pars International Hotel and Filipino community leader Bobby Calimoso provided transportation services to the repatriates.