Twenty-four Filipinos detained in Russia for nine months without formal charges arrived home on Sunday after President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. raised their case with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin during a meeting in Kazan, BusinessWorld reported.
The group, composed of 22 women and two men, had been held in the Yakutsk and Irkutsk regions. Their detention without formal charges had drawn concern from the Philippine government, which worked through diplomatic channels to secure their release.
The arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport marks the end of a months-long ordeal for the overseas Filipino workers. The Philippine Embassy in Moscow continues to monitor their reintegration and legal status.