Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Sunday paid tribute to the deceased overseas Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia whose remains were finally repatriated back to Manila after experiencing delays due to the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
In simple rites at the NAIA, Locsin said taking back the remains of the OFWs was “no cakewalk” under the current COVID-19 situation.
“Further closures and lockdowns and shuttered government offices and closed down airports aggravated the already tedious process of securing the needed permits, clearances, and logistics in order to return the dead to their families,” Locsin said.
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration worked hand-in-hand to mount the exclusive repatriation flight to bring home the remains of the fallen OFWs.
“I assure our people that the DFA and our embassies and consulates abroad will do whatever it takes to bring our distressed Filipinos home,” the DFA chief said in his remarks.
While also honoring the families and loved ones of the deceased OFWs, the DFA chief called on them to give recognition to the “contributions and sacrifices” of the fallen workers.
In giving the OFWs heroes welcome from Saudi Arabia, Locsin said, “To honor the dead is to honor ourselves.”
Meanwhile, the DFA reported that no new confirmed cases and no new fatalities due to COVID-19 were reported among Filipinos across the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa on July 19, 2020.
To date, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among overseas Filipinos is 9,001.