All is set for the July 10 arrival of the first batch of 274 deceased overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Saudi Arabia.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Thursday revealed during a Laging Handa press briefing
that a dry run was already conducted at the Villamor Airbase for the same.
Bello said the first batch will consist of 44 cadavers.
This is so because the plane they chartered for the repatriation can only accommodate 44 bodies.
"They will be arriving tomorrow at 10:55 a.m." he said.
In any case, he assured all of the 274 dead OFWs will be brought home.
"I would like to inform the next of kin, the relatives of our dead OFWs that at all cost we will repatriate all of them," he said.
"In fact, the (first) 44 will be followed by another 44 on Sunday. It will arrive Monday and we will do that until we have repatriated all our dead OFWs," added Bello.
Of the first 44, 19 died of COVID-19 while 25 died of natural causes.
Upon arrival in the country, Bello said the bodies of those who died of COVID-19 will be brought to a crematorium.
As to those who died of natural causes, Bello said relatives will have the option to either get the remains of their dead for burial or agree to cremation.
"80 percent of them already agreed to have them cremated," Bello said.
According to DOLE, the first batch of dead OFWs are from Riyadh and Al-Khobar while the second batch are from Dammam and Jeddah.