First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos has ordered the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to provide urgent medical care and assist a child of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who is in a hospital in Abu Dhabi.

The First Lady made the order during the Bagong Bayani ng Mundo: OFW Mini Serbisyo Caravan held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac shared the information on social media on Wednesday.

“Isa sa mga nakadaupang‑palad ng ating Unang Ginang ang mga OFW na magulang ni 7-year-old Andrey, isang batang may brain tumor at kasalukuyang nasa ICU (One of the people the First Lady met was the OFW parents of 7-year-old Andrey who is suffering from a brain tumor and is currently in the ICU),” he said.

Cacdac said the First Lady’s directive is to ensure that the child receives the immediate medical attention and surgery he needs, including an air ambulance from Abu Dhabi.

In December last year, a local Filipino magazine, “The Global Filipino” in Abu Dhabi, published an appeal made by Andrey’s father, OFW Jean Lloyd Limbaring from Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, asking for help for his son, who was diagnosed with a rare malignant brain tumor affecting his brainstem.

Andrey’s condition was first diagnosed in 2019, when the child was only one year old.

He has since undergone four major brain surgeries, including chemotherapy, and two rounds of radiation following multiple tumor recurrences.

However, scans taken in September 2025 revealed another recurrence, and local doctors in the UAE said they have already exhausted all possible treatment options there.

Specialists recommended further surgery and chemotherapy in Spain, where more advanced care for complex pediatric cases is available.

But with Andrey’s condition, the only safe option for his transfer is through an air ambulance, which the family cannot afford, much less the costs of the treatment in Spain.

After hearing the story, the First Lady issued an order to DMW and OWWA to provide urgent medical assistance, including arrangements for surgery and safe transport to Spain once medically cleared.

Meanwhile, Cacdac said the First Lady also led the distribution of medical and financial aid to more than 100 OFW cancer patients in Abu Dhabi, supplementing the ongoing support of DMW and OWWA.

Cacdac said the OFW Serbisyo Caravan highlights the Marcos administration’s commitment to bringing government services closer to OFWs and responding swiftly to urgent welfare and medical needs, particularly for vulnerable families facing life-threatening conditions abroad.

Before Abu Dhabi, the DMW also conducted the caravan in Dubai from Jan. 8 to 12, where a total of 10,559 government transactions were delivered to about 5,536 OFWs. (PNA)