Over 300,000 displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have so far returned to their home provinces, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said on Friday.
OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac said they have sent home 302,000 repatriated OFWs as of November 13, although their operations have been affected by the series of typhoons that hit the country in the recent weeks.
"Naantala lang 'yong ating pagpapauwi (Our repatriation were suspended) for a couple of days, in fact, it stretches 'til last week due to Typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses. Kahapon 500 lang nakauwi (Yesterday, only 500 were able to go home)," Cacdac said in hi update in the government's Laging Handa briefing.
"Hopefully magsimula na ulit 'yong (we can resume with our) usual flow around 1,000 to 2,500 everyday," he added.
Cacdac said, anyway, that around 2,000 to 2,500 repatriated Filipinos arrive daily in the country's international airports.
He said they expect some 70,000 to 80,000 more to return to the Philippines within the year.
"Of course, variable ang figure kasi Christmas season. Panahon ng Pasko, obviously magsisiuwian ang ating mga kababayan (Our countryment will go home for Christmas)," he said.
Meanwhile, Cacdac said 325,000 displaced OFWs have been given the P10,000 emergency cash aid under the Department of Labor and Employment's Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) program.
"And we are currently wrapping up with about, maybe 20,000 more this coming week for the third tranche na nakuha natin (that we got) from the national government," he said.
He said they are also set to receive the funds for the program's fourth tranche from the allocations of the "Bayanihan to Recover as One" or Bayanihan 2 Act. Their distribution will start next week, Cacdac said.