MANILA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 188 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were previously convicted prisoners but now pardoned in Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening arrived at the Villamor Air Base, south of Manila, following President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who ended her visit to the middle east kingdom.

    Upon disembarking from the plane, the joyful-hearted OFWs were taken to the "presidential wing" of the air base to meet President Arroyo together with the Saudi ambassador to the Philippines and other government officials, who welcome them home, the footage of ABS-CBN TV showed.

    According to the TV report, the OFWs were among the first batch of Filipinos sent home after Arroyo secured their release from Saudi jails during her four-day state visit to the kingdom.

    The President arrived in Manila earlier Thursday afternoon.

    The OFWs as well as their families and relatives waved placard and sat at the air base, expressing gratitude to the President for her role in their release.

    The group of 188 including 125 women and 52 men, along with seven children and four infants, the report said.

    The total number of OFWs released by the Saudi government is 667, as a diplomatic fruit for Arroyo's visit to the country, according to the report. A second group of 281 OFWs is expected to follow the first batch.

    There are about one million Filipinos live and work in Saudi Arabia, the released OFW prisoners were mostly convicted with minor penal offenses, such as prostitution, government officials were quoted by the report as saying. Enditem